Trade FAT for MUSCLE and burn more calories throughout the day!
1 pound of muscle burns approx. 5.67 calories a day.
1 pound of fat burns approx. 1.98 calories a day.
It doesn't sound like much but any little bit is better than none. So you gain 5 lbs of muscle and that turns into an extra 25-30 calories a day. 10 lbs of muscle is 50-60 extra calories. You are thinking, ummmmmm, that doesn't sound too motivating.....But every little bit helps. If you could burn 25-60 extra calories a day or not, wouldn't you choose to burn it? I would. You have to keep in mind the long run. It all adds up. That's 450-900 calories a month, or 10,000+ more calories a year. Sounds good to me! You have all seen that picture of the big glob of fat with the little sign that says, "this is what 5 lbs of fat looks like" compared to what 5 lbs of muscle looks like. The 5 lbs of muscle takes up less than half the space of that 5 lbs of fat. I would trade in the 5 lbs of fat for 5 lbs of muscle any day.
It doesn't sound like much but any little bit is better than none. So you gain 5 lbs of muscle and that turns into an extra 25-30 calories a day. 10 lbs of muscle is 50-60 extra calories. You are thinking, ummmmmm, that doesn't sound too motivating.....But every little bit helps. If you could burn 25-60 extra calories a day or not, wouldn't you choose to burn it? I would. You have to keep in mind the long run. It all adds up. That's 450-900 calories a month, or 10,000+ more calories a year. Sounds good to me! You have all seen that picture of the big glob of fat with the little sign that says, "this is what 5 lbs of fat looks like" compared to what 5 lbs of muscle looks like. The 5 lbs of muscle takes up less than half the space of that 5 lbs of fat. I would trade in the 5 lbs of fat for 5 lbs of muscle any day.
Muscle is responsible for many of the calories you burn each day. This is something that many of us overlook. We take our muscles for granted and don't give them enough credit for ALWAYS working hard for us. Muscles do our bodies so much goodness yet some people are still so nervous about muscles. Afraid of getting bulky, too big? Some just want to "tone" but like I have said before being toned means having muscle and being lean.
Building muscle takes a lot of hard work. You can't get a nice defined bicep by doing one killer bicep workout. It takes consistently working that bicep week after week to get that muscle to grow and show all the hard work. And just an FYI, if you are nervous about being bulky...whether or not you get bulky or lean it all stems from your diet. If you start a weight lifting program but continue to eat junk you WILL get bulky. You WILL get bigger. Your muscles will get larger but your fat percentage will stay the same or get greater if you continue to not eat proper foods. Which means bigger muscles under too much body fat just makes you bigger. So, you need to commit to a healthier eating plan to start shedding body fat so your muscles become more visible and you appear more lean.
I hear this all the time.....People start working out and eating healthy but the scale is not moving. So frustrating I know! Remember that muscle weighs more than fat does. If you are consistently working on building muscle, I guarantee you are losing body fat. JUST KEEP GOING and TRUST IT! Which your goal SHOULD be to lose body fat first and don't worry about the number on the scale! You just need to trust the process of weight lifting and healthy eating because it all comes together very nicely when done correctly.
How does muscle burn so many calories? When you lift weights and work your muscles you are tearing them down and then the muscles have to build themselves up. That takes a lot of work. When you are at rest your muscle gets its fuel source to do all that repairing from your fat. So the more muscle you have the more fat that gets used and burned for fuel. If your exercise routine does not include any form of resistance training, PLEASE add it in. A few times a week of an intense exercise will really give your body some changes all around. And whatever is intense exercise, is what is considered intense for you. If that means walking, then start there. You will get the hang of it! But you need to stick to a program long enough for your body to grasp the concept of what you are doing and let your body change and then you can move up and adjust new challenges where needed. Don't give up. When you feel like giving up, that is usually when change is just around the corner.
How does muscle burn so many calories? When you lift weights and work your muscles you are tearing them down and then the muscles have to build themselves up. That takes a lot of work. When you are at rest your muscle gets its fuel source to do all that repairing from your fat. So the more muscle you have the more fat that gets used and burned for fuel. If your exercise routine does not include any form of resistance training, PLEASE add it in. A few times a week of an intense exercise will really give your body some changes all around. And whatever is intense exercise, is what is considered intense for you. If that means walking, then start there. You will get the hang of it! But you need to stick to a program long enough for your body to grasp the concept of what you are doing and let your body change and then you can move up and adjust new challenges where needed. Don't give up. When you feel like giving up, that is usually when change is just around the corner.
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