Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Combat the middle age bulge

Muscle loss is a partial explanation for why people gain weight as they grow older. If we do not exercise, we lose about half a pound of muscle every year starting at the age of 25.



If you are sedentary, by the time you are fifty years old, you will have lost approximately 15 pounds of muscle. Even if all things stay the same, you will gain 1.5 pounds of fat every year because you are progressively burning fewer calories. Note: The reason I said muscle loss is only a "partial explanation" is because people tend to be less active as they get older. They also tend to eat more. In short, less calories being burned and more calories coming in equals the middle age bulge!


Why you should build lean muscle.

More muscle means a slightly higher metabolism. A pound of muscle has been calculated as needing an extra 35 to 50 calories a day. This might not seem like much until you realize that, all things being equal (especially the calories coming in!), this translates to a loss of 3 ½ to 5 pounds a year (3,500 calories equals a pound of fat).

That's why most weight loss experts recommend resistance or strength training as part of a holistic plan to lose weight (the other components are sensible eating and aerobic exercise). You burn the most amounts of calories during aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling, dancing, etc). You don't burn as many calories during your resistance training sessions (unless you lift very heavy amounts of weight) but every pound of muscle you gain goes a long way in helping you to lose weight

Want To Know More ? see - Plan For Your Future Health Today

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