Want a Lean and Toned Body? Do More Than Cardio!

If you only do cardio exercise, it will not give you the lean and toned body that you need and want! You will end up losing muscle mass as you lose weight (that tired, frail look!).

You need weight training also. And, ladies, don’t worry about getting too bulky. You would have to lift very heavy weights for a long time for “bulkiness” to happen.

Remember this also: your fat cells only shrink when you lose fat. In other words, the fat cells are still there and they will refill if you become inactive! Consistent exercise keeps the fat cells in check.

Fat loss is more important than weight loss!

If you lose major poundage without strength training, most of your weight loss will be muscle mass. It is gained (or preserved) muscle mass that speeds up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to maintain it. And, your body will shrink (lean) because muscle mass takes up less space than fat.

Muscle mass is also metabolically active tissue (unlike fat mass). It is possible to be "skinny-fat" (skinny with high body fat). You will almost certainly regain lost weight if you don't build (or preserve) muscle mass and transform your body.

The goal should be to have a lean and toned body. Here is an example:

This woman weighed 150 pounds, with 30% body fat
(lean mass = 105 lbs. and fat mass = 45 lbs.)

Exercise program results:

Weight: 130 pounds, 20% body fat
(lean mass = 104 lbs. and fat mass = 26 lbs.)

This woman's exercise program was very successful! She lost 20 total pounds with only 1 lost pound of muscle. That means the other 19 pounds lost was fat! This also means less fat tissue that is metabolically inactive. She was able to do this because she combined healthy nutrition with strength training and cardio exercise.

Read testimonials here

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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Posted in: Fat Burning Tips