Benefits of Building Muscle *Bri's Keys*

So many of us want to lose weight & we go to cardio, cardio, cardio! I've done this before & it has worked but looking back at my pictures from when I lost the weight then, I would much rather have the heavier, tighter body I have now! I may not be the smallest woman, I may not be lean, you may look at my pictures and think I still have a ways to go & fat to lose, but I am stronger, tighter & healthier than a lot of women (& men) who weigh less than me & I am proud of that because it is something I strived for and accomplished through building muscle!

Muscles are like little powerhouses that burn fat even when you are resting! That means, the more muscle you have, the more calories you can potentially burn when you aren't even doing anything! To me this means, you can eventually spend less time in the gym & less time worrying about that piece of chocolate you want so badly!

Did you know that when you are losing weight & you are doing cardio, you are actually losing muscle mass as well? If you are losing muscle mass you are also slowing down your metabolism! EEeek! Who wants to be slender & weak with a slow metabolism?! Not me! I want to have energy, I want to be strong & capable of all things & I want to be able to eat because like so many of us I LOVE TO EAT!!!  Have you ever seen someone who is "skinny fat"? You know someone who wears a small size in their clothing, but they still have jiggly spots & the muffin top that you so desperately want to rid yourself of? They are considered "skinny fat" because they do not have beloved muscles working hard for them to pull in their waistline & make everything look firm & smooth. Well in order to not lose muscle mass, you have to be sure to challenge your muscles & encourage growth with resistance & weights.

5lbs fat vs 5lbs muscle

I'm sure we have all heard the phrases that "muscle weighs more than fat" & "five pounds of muscle is smaller than five pounds of fat". Well this is true! So if you can somehow detach yourself from being obsessed with a number on a scale you can actually start looking smaller & much firmer from building muscle!

According to LIVESTRONG.COM, "One pound of muscle burns about 6.5 calories per hour. Muscles burn 5.5 times more calories than fat tissues, which burn about 1.2 calories per pound per hour."

If you have never resistance or weight trained before and are unsure of what to do & where to start, I say START WITH LEGS!! Think about what large muscles you have in your legs. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, burn calories & build a strong foundation that will help you in other workouts and your beloved cardio, legs is definitely where to start! Bodybuilding.com says
"Because the legs contain such a massive amount of muscle tissue, when they are placed under an overloading stimulus they cause the release of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone; much more than when you are working a smaller muscle such as your triceps. These hormones alone stimulate muscle growth, so essentially, when you work your legs, you are indirectly helping the rest of you to grow as well."  This page on Bodybuilding.com is also a great reference of where to start based on whether you want to increase your leg size, train them for power or make them toned and more lean!

If you have never trained in this fashion before you could start with exercises that use your own body weight such as squats, step ups on your stairs or a set of bleachers, lunges & calf raises. Once you are comfortable, if you want to purchase a few weights, my favorites are kettle bell swings, deadlifts & thrusters for full body workouts that target your legs!

This post is a part of Bri's Keys: Daily Improvements with Ease
look for other posts like it!