Why Muscle Is Awesome for Weight Loss & Health

There was a time when cardio was all the rage. It was the center of the fitness industry for decades, but oh how times have changed! Today, muscle is coveted. Fairly recently, women began striving for the athletic, lean look of an athlete over being thin. We think this is awesome! Not just because it shows how we are evolving, but also because there are tremendous benefits to carrying more muscle mass (and less body fat).

The Sedentary Life

Life has changed A LOT in the last century. Day to day work once involved physical labor, which is great for building and maintaining muscle. Now most of us have jobs that require us to sit at a desk and/or remain sedentary. It’s very easy for someone to be low on muscle mass and high in body fat, which is not only detrimental to your long term health, vitality. It can also eat away at your confidence and self esteem. That’s why

Benefits of Building Muscle

As I see it, here are the top 5 benefits of building and maintaining muscle mass:

1. Increased metabolic efficiency – when you hold more muscle, your body needs higher amounts of energy to survive. Muscle is 3-5x more metabolically active at rest, which means muscle tissue burns significantly more calories at rest than fat.
2. Improved insulin sensitivity – this means more control over blood sugar levels and lower instances of diabetes. You’ll also have better blood glucose control. So, less dietary glucose (sugar) will store as body fat and you’ll have more energy overall.
3. Fight sarcopenia – this is age-related muscle loss. This actually starts around the age of 30, but you can reverse and prevent it by hitting the weights. So, if you want to get around the when you’re older, not shrink in height, and be strong rather than frail, work to build muscle and keep it! Use it or lose it!
4. Avoid disease – we all know that excess body fat causes a variety of serious health conditions. One of the best ways to keep fat off is by building muscle. And in doing so, you can avoid potentially deadly conditions like stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and many others. Are you doing all you can to avoid lifestyle-related disease?
5. Gives you confidence – when you have more muscle you have less body fat, and it should be no surprise that it’s a huge confidence booster! This confidence will spread across all areas of your life, as a better version of YOU emerges. You’ll inspire those around you as you become more positive, fearless, and proud of the body you’ve created.

The Best Way to Build Muscle

Now that we know why muscle is essential for a healthy, happy life, the question is “How do we gain muscle and hold onto it?”

#1: Lift Weights

Here at Method3 Fitness, we are experts at designing safe and effective programs that will have you growing your muscle mass to result in all the benefits listed above and more! If you or someone you know has been putting off the exercise or maybe even fearing building muscles (ahem, ladies!), we hope you see how essential it is. Not just for now but for your future as well. So much of what we face when we’re older can be prevented and/or improved by the choices we make now. If you’re currently training in one of our programs consistently…BRAVO! You’re giving yourself a gift every time you walk through our doors, so don’t forget that!

#2: Proper Nutrition

The food that you eat either supports you in your effort to build muscle or it hinders you. That means consuming balanced portions of protein, high quality carbohydrates, and healthy fats on a daily basis. Not sure what that looks like? We have a few great articles that can help you plan and prepare meals.

Also, make sure to stay properly hydrated. Water plays an important role in transporting nutrients to your cells. Aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day, especially if you’re working out.

#3: Smart Lifestyle Choices

Our lives are busy. Most of us are overworked and don’t get nearly enough sleep to keep ourselves functioning at optimal levels. Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye and work to reduce the amount of stress in your daily life. You don’t have to change everything at once, but a few small changes over time can add up to big success.

#4 Hire a Personal Trainer

If you’re not actively working on building or maintaining muscle, we highly recommend that you Hire a Personal Trainer. If you’ve ever invested in a gym membership and tried going it alone, you know how difficult it can be to come up with workouts that are effective, not to mention stick to a routine. A trainer will keep you accountable, provide you with a simple structure to follow, and help you stay engaged so that you keep coming back for more.

So what are you waiting for? Come in and have a chat with one of our expert coaches. It could very well transform every aspect of your life, from how you feel when you look in the mirror to how long you live and how happy you are in life. Don’t put it off. You deserve your best.