People often talk about their slow metabolism (the body’s engine) and often blame it on their weight gain worries. This may well be true but what is at the very heart of the matter and what they should be blaming is their lack of muscle tissue. This is what reduces the metabolic rate and therefore reduces the rate the body burns fuel (calories).
Our body burns fuel 24 hours a day and if this rate even slows by a few calories a minute it is going to make the difference between remaining slim and lean or becoming overweight. If you should be burning say 14 calories a minute just to exist and suddenly you are burning 12 calories a minute you can see how this would add up over the course of the day, the week the month.
A sluggish metabolism can mean extra pounds of unburned fuel and you know where it is going to end up don’t you? Yes, on your tummy, your hips and other storage body fat sites on your body.
Toned muscles are the driver of your metabolism
To keep this fuel burning rate up so you do not become overweight it is important to look after your muscles. They need to be kept strong and healthy and there is only one way to do this and that is to use them. There is not enough muscle building and maintaining activity in our modern sedentary world to keep our metabolism boosted so an intentional strength training exercise program performed 2-3 times each week is needed.
Keeping our muscles strong and healthy is a vital part of any fat loss program. People who do strength training on a regular basis as their primary exercise activity are leaner, slimmer and firmer than those who do aerobic exercise only. They also have greater all over body strength and bone density.
The metabolism is often misunderstood with people thinking that it is either something they are born with or not. Others think activity levels, thyroid function or age affect it and those things all do to some degree or another but not nearly as much as the condition of your muscle tissue. The more toned muscle you have on your body the more calories you will burn regardless of how active you are or how old you are.
Muscle tissue is highly active and it is there working for you 24 hours each day whether you are exercising or sleeping or resting. When you have the power of it on your side you can eat more food without the fear of becoming overweight or go on holiday and not have to worry about every mouthful of food. You can be safe in the knowledge that your metabolic engine will burn off any excesses and keep you slim.
Keeping your metabolism revved requires action
To get your metabolism in this fat burning condition does take your active participation – it can not happen without some effort on your part. Your first goal is to stop any further weight gain and get your body burning up all the energy produced from the food you eat each day. Your strength training program will do this and will also get you started on the journey back to that slim body you used to have and wish to reclaim.
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