Here’s the thing about muscles…they ROCK. No seriously, they do. They not only give your body tone & definition, but they ALSO burn a ton of calories. Sure, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are focusing on building muscle while you lose weight, the number on the scale may not drop as drastically as you would like. BUT that heavy muscle actually INCREASES your rate of metabolism, and helps to burn your stored body fat. Isn’t that what we all really want…to burn stored body fat? Why is it then that so many women are afraid of lifting weights? I am a fitness instructor, and I can’t tell you how many women I see lifting very, very light weights because they fear “getting too bulky.” Let me be the first to assure you that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a woman to “accidentally” bulk up! It simply isn’t going to happen. Women who have very large muscles are doing incredibly intense and specific weight training, and follow a highly tailored diet to support that type of muscle growth. It does not happen by mistake. So please, take a moment right now to set that myth aside once and for all. If you incorporate weight training into your workout routine 2-3 days per week, you will start to see some tone and definition, you will start to notice your clothes fitting better, AND you will be training your metabolism to work more efficiently. Your muscle tissue is where your metabolism actually takes place, and the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your rate of metabolism. Faster rate of metabolism = more calories burned all throughout the day! So, here it is ladies…DON’T be afraid of a little heavy lifting!!! If you want to shed fat, have a nice lean body, increase your metabolism, have less “jiggle,” have more energy, burn more calories, feel stronger, look better in clothes, reduce risk of injury increase your overall health, or any combination of the above, you MUST incorporate weight training into your life. You MUST lift weights that are heavy enough to cause a burn, you must do enough reps and sets to create muscle fatigue, and you must be consistent. Muscle is a GOOD thing!! Who wants to be skinny when you can be STRONG, anyway?? Strong is the new skinny, my friends, and I am SO, SO glad!!

xoxo,
Malea