This might be the only thing you read about metabolism that isn’t trying to sell you something. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns energy. Your body uses calories for energy, like your car uses gas for energy.
Did you know you need at least 1200 calories to power your body’s systems? Of course that number can differ, depending on your age and gender. But it’s the minimum you need to keep your body from going into starvation mode and using calories incorrectly.
When you eat too many calories, your body stores them as fat. This is where things get complicated: Calories from sugar are more likely to be stored as fat because sugar tricks your body into thinking “here come a lot of calories.” And it’s usually right: It’s easy to pack a LOT of calories into sugary foods. What i like to call “just in case calories”. I could write an entire blog on just that, but I’ll stay focused on today’s topic for now.
You want a FAST metabolism, so your body burns a LOT of calories correctly. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to burn more than you eat. Creating a caloric deficit.
Building muscle mass is a great way to turn your body into a furnace, burning calories easier.
When it comes to weight loss, most people focus on endless cardio and dieting. However, building muscle is one of the most effective and sustainable ways to lose weight and keep it off. Strength training and building muscle should be a key part of your weight loss journey.
Why?
Because Muscle Increases Your Metabolism:
Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it burns more calories even when you’re at rest. For every pound of muscle you gain, your body burns more calories throughout the day. This helps create a higher basal metabolic rate. Your (BMR) is the minimum amount your body needs for basic life functions. Having a higher BMR makes it easier to maintain a calorie deficit without extreme dieting and hours on the treadmill.
Calories Burned Post-Workout (After-burn Effect):
Strength training triggers the after-burn effect, also known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). After an intense weightlifting session, your body continues to burn calories for hours, even while you’re resting. This effect is much lower with traditional steady-state cardio.
Muscle Improves Insulin Sensitivity:
Resistance training helps regulate blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity. This reduces fat storage and makes it easier to use carbs for energy rather than storing them as fat. In turn increasing your metabolic state.
Prevents Muscle Loss While Dieting:
When you’re in a calorie deficit, your body might burn both fat and muscle for energy. If you only focus on cardio without resistance training, you risk losing muscle mass, which slows down metabolism. Strength training helps you maintain and even build muscle while shedding fat. The two are closely intertwined.
Long-Term Weight Management:
Muscle-building promotes sustainable weight loss and a healthy metabolism. Instead of focusing on short-term dieting, increasing muscle mass helps you keep weight off long-term by allowing you to eat more without gaining fat.
So How Do You Incorporate Strength Training for Weight Loss, and Boost That Metabolism?
Lift Weights:
Lift heavy and progressively overload with compound movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and presses to build the most muscle. Training at least three to four days a week with a mix of full-body and targeted workouts helps maximize muscle growth. While lifting should be the priority, adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can further boost fat loss.
Eat Protein:
Protein is essential for muscle growth and recovery, so aim for 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Recovery is just as important as training, so getting enough rest will enhance muscle repair and fat loss.
Log Everything:
As awesome as you are, you most likely can’t remember every detail of everyday life. Logging your exercises, weight, and repetitions will help you determine when to increase the intensity of your workouts. Logging what you are eating and how much will bring awareness to your eating habits. Which can lead to weight loss and other health benefits.
Building muscle is one of the most effective ways to boost your metabolism, lose weight, and keep it off. It not only helps you burn more calories but also improves your body composition, making you look leaner and stronger. Instead of focusing solely on the scale, prioritize muscle-building to achieve long-term, sustainable weight loss. You will not only look better but you will also feel better. Because your body is using those calories more efficiently.
Ready to start? Pick up those weights and watch your body transform!Inspired By Stacy Boil @www.faithfitnessgym.com