| We live in a world that loves beauty. The most | | | | 1. Strength training exercise |
| admired bodies are lean, shapely and firm, and many | | | | 2. Nutritious eating (small meals each with protein) |
| people would love to own a body like this. Yet many | | | | 3. Interval training (short bursts of intense activity) |
| of those same people are starving themselves trying | | | | 4. A very active lifestyle |
| to be skinny mistakenly thinking that this is how you | | | | 5. Consistency in all of the above |
| get into that sort of shape. | | | | If you truly wish to get into good physical shape you |
| It really is about lack of knowledge. Way too much | | | | need to ditch the bathroom scale mentality. It will not |
| focus has been placed on dieting and 'cardio' activity | | | | serve you well. You really need your body |
| and not enough importance on muscle building and | | | | composition numbers - your muscle/fat ratio. You |
| maintaining activity. Our muscles are what give our | | | | need to know how much lean muscle tissue you |
| body shape, firmness and leanness and toning them | | | | have and what your body fat percentage is. Your |
| is how those most admired sleek bodies can be | | | | body weight does not give you this information. |
| acquired. | | | | How much muscle and fat is your body made up of? |
| If you choose to diet and do only 'cardio' activity it | | | | Does it wiggle and jiggle or is it firm and tight? To be |
| will work against your body and you will end up with | | | | in really good shape you should have a healthy |
| a smaller, flabbier body that lacks shape and firmness. | | | | amount of muscle tissue and your body fat |
| It will also lack a healthy metabolism (your body's | | | | percentage should be on the lower end of the scale. |
| engine) as toned muscle tissue is what drives your | | | | Without proper strength building and maintaining |
| metabolism. | | | | exercise after the mid 20's you will lose muscle tissue |
| Muscle burns fat so to be able to lose weight and | | | | at the rate of one half pound per year. Restrictive |
| keep it off you need metabolic 'fitness'. And this | | | | food dieting and 'cardio' type activity without |
| does not happen by accident. You need to keep | | | | strength training will cause muscle tissue loss which |
| your muscles in good working order to keep your | | | | will cost you in terms of how well your body is |
| metabolic fat burning mechanism fired up and burning | | | | burning up your food intake as fuel. |
| fat. | | | | Our muscle tissue deteriorates at almost every stage |
| The more toned muscle tissue you have on your | | | | of our life, dragging our health with it. This is why we |
| body the more fat you burn and the more calories | | | | must strength train to rebuild the lost muscle tissue |
| you can eat without gaining body fat. The more fat | | | | and therefore rebuild a healthy metabolism. |
| you burn means the less fat you store. This is what | | | | So, keep your muscles working and they will keep |
| a good metabolism is and this is mainly affected by | | | | working hard for you burning off that excess body |
| your daily choices in the way of proper exercise and | | | | fat revealing that strong, lean, firm, shapely body of |
| proper nutrition. | | | | your dreams. |
| There are 5 keys to a good metabolism: | | | | |