Toning the muscles for easier weight loss

It is a simple fact: the more muscle mass you have on your body, the more calories you burn. This does not mean that you have to have bulky muscles, or lift heavy weights in order to lose weight. Simply working to reduce the amount of fat on your body and increase your muscle tone through moderate exercise will benefit you greatly. When you exercise to tone your muscle, you will reap the benefit of exercise, weight maintenance, more caloric expenditure at rest, and the ability to even eat more.

Our muscles burn energy (in the form of calories) during daily use, during exercise, and for daily bodily processes. The more muscles mass you have on your body, the more calories that you will burn, both at rest and when your body is working. This is true for both men and women, even though men are physically built to have more muscle mass on their bodies than women. It might seem too good to be true, but for every pound of muscle that is added to the body, an extra 60 calories are burned each day. One pound of muscle will burn an extra ½ pound each month! That is why it is in your best interest to tone your muscles!

Larger muscles will burn more fats than the smaller muscles. Therefore, you should do exercises that help increase the mass and tone of those larger muscles, such as the quadriceps (the large muscle on the front of the thigh) and the gluteas maximus  (the rear end muscle). And you don’t have to spend hours at a gym lifting heavy weights to get results, either. Doing simple and moderate exercises such as walking, running or cycling on a regular basis will all help to shape those areas. Those activities will also provide a good aerobic workout, which will help burn even more calories, as well as aid in weight lost.

The more muscle your body has, the more caloric intake your body will require to function. While this does mean that you can eat more, it does not mean that you should eat anything and everything. The best way to achieve a balance between caloric intake and energy consumption is by eating several smaller meals each day (like 5 or 6), eating foods high in fiber and protein, and low in fat.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it is very important that you increase your muscle mass. The more toned your muscles are, the more efficiently your body burns calories whether you are moving or resting. This translates into weight loss, weight maintenance, more energy, and more self-confidence.

So why are you waiting??????