Losing Weight Will Be Tough On Your Wallet When You Have To Buy New Clothes

     If you were asked what the number one fitness problem that people experience you might say excess body fat. But the real answer may surprise you. It is the ongoing loss of muscle mass. Muscle mass you say? "But, I don't want large muscles I want smaller muscles". But, when you understand how important muscle tissue is to the ability of your body to burn off unwanted fat you may soon change your mind.

After the age of 30ish all adults lose around one half pound of muscle tissue each year unless they work hard to keep it with muscle building and maintaining exercise. This loss is not helpful if you wish to remain slim and trim. Muscle tissue is where fat is burned for fuel so the loss of even a pound or two is going to have a negative effect on your metabolism (your body's engine.)

Losing your muscle tissue can result in a gain of body fat. Why? Because muscle tissue is active tissue and makes high calorie demands, even at rest. Having less muscle means a lower metabolic rate which is the rate your body burns fuel. Your muscles are your fat burning machinery and they can keep you slim if you look after them.

Recent studies reveal that the average person experiences a decline in their metabolic rate every year which exactly parallels the loss of muscle tissue when they are not doing enough muscle building and maintaining activity. This is the main reason why people tend to get larger and heavier as the years pass by.

Fortunately, something can be done to combat and conquer this loss of muscle and gain of fat no matter your age. In fact, the solution is quite simple. For muscles to regain their size and shape so they can better burn fuel, they must be worked against a resistance. And the way to do this is with a proper strength training program - the lifting of weights in the form of dumbbells, barbells, and various machines.

Don't be fooled into thinking that 'cardio' type activity (walking, jogging or cycling) will achieve these fat loss benefits. Any low intensity 'fluff' does not challenge the muscular system enough to increase the metabolism and that is what is needed for long term fat loss and weight control.

The fact is, hours and hours of long, slow activity of any kind will not help most people lose weight because it is simply not intense enough to cause a permanent increase in the metabolic rate and drops back to normal fairly quickly after the session is over. If you rebuild some muscle tissue, however, your body's resting metabolism, (which is when you are resting or sleeping), increases. This is what will chew into the fat stores.

This means that the average person with just a modest increase in muscle tissue (so small you will not even notice it) can increase your metabolism by up to 15 percent. This also means you will burn an extra several hundred calories each day.

Imagine what this would mean to your life, a few extra treats, enjoying more your favorite foods without putting on weight or simply fitting into clothes that you have not been able to get on for years (maybe decades). Strength training exercise is also great for you overall health and wellbeing. But, it may be tough on your wallet because you will need to buy new clothes.

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