Weight Loss and Healthy Living

The key to successful fat loss is not simply dieting and running until you cannot feel your legs anymore. There is a myth that cardio burns fat and therefore is the most important component of fat loss. Unfortunately, many people overlook the benefits of resistance training and don't realize that not only is lifting weights a great way to improve overall health, it will actually contribute to fat burning as well.


A quick science lesson before we begin. Cardio is also known as 'aerobic exercise.' Aerobic refers to the fact that the body uses oxygen and therefore burns fat. Resistance training is anaerobic. If you guessed this means that it doesn't use oxygen, you're right. If you also assume it means it doesn't burn fat, think again.

The fuel for resistance training comes mainly from storage within your muscle cells. There is a form of carbohydrate called glycogen that is used to help recharge your muscle's battery. This carbohydrate is stored within the muscle itself. It is true that when you are training with weights, you are not burning fat as your main source of energy - most of it comes from those batteries you have inside your muscles.

So, why bother with resistance training at all?

There are numerous reasons. Before we talk about the positive benefits of working your muscles for losing fat, let's cover why training with resistance, in general, is a good thing. While most people assume that resistance training means going to the gym and pumping heavy iron, the truth is that any form of resistance - whether it's your own body weight (yoga moves or push-ups), a resistance band, a hydraulic machine, or if it is in fact a barbell bent into an upside-down 'U' from the weight of all the plates you've stacked on each end - qualifies and will help you achieve the desired result.

Resistance training will improve your strength. This, in turn, can help prevent injury and increase your capacity to do work. It also doesn't strengthen just your muscle - resistance training helps your bones.

There are many examples of people in their eighties and nineties who have been strength training for decades who enjoy the same quality of life that the rest of us do because they've kept their bones strong through their training. Perhaps this is why studies show people who incorporate resistance training generally live longer than those who don't - even if those who don't are healthy eaters and perform other exercises like running or cycling.

Another great benefit of resistance training is the impact it has on fat burning. While it is true that fat is not the main source of energy while you are straining, training with resistance creates what is called an 'oxygen debt.' This means the body will use oxygen and burn fat to recover from the session.

In fact, some studies suggest that one intense weight training session can raise your metabolism and help you burn more calories from fat up to three days after you finish your workout! That's a powerful benefit.

Intense resistance training tends to burn more calories than cardio sessions of the same duration. Resistance training will also build muscle. Having more muscle will not only improve your body's ability to burn fat, but also may increase your metabolic rate -you literally will burn more calories even when you are sitting down and doing nothing.

Whether your goal is to cut fat, improve your muscle definition, or just live the healthiest you can live, don't leave resistance training out of the equation. Whether you enjoy strenuous weight-bearing yoga moves, doing push-ups and pull-ups in the park, or hitting the gym and pumping iron, if you build the muscle, your fat cells will burn.

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