Metabolism refers to a whole host of biochemical responses that occur within the body, most notably the way that calories in the foods that we eat and drink combine with oxygen to release the energy our bodies need to function.
To break it down further, there are FOUR different components of metabolism…
1. Basal Metabolism
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
3. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
4. Exercise Activity
Please bear with me on all the scientific terms, but I assure you that once you learn all of them, you will have no doubt that lifting weights is the answer to an improved metabolism and physique.
Our Basal Metabolism is the amount of energy needed to keep us alive. It is the energy needed to keep our organs functioning and our body temperature regulated, among other things.
The Thermic Effect Of Food (TEF) is the energy needed to digest, absorb and eliminate the foods we eat. Certain foods, like protein, take longer to digest, so they require a bit more energy.
The next facet of metabolism is called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), which refers to the energy needed to fuel everyday activities like walking, sitting, brushing our teeth or any other activity we engage in other than actual exercise. The more active we are in our daily life (sitting less, walking more), the higher our metabolism tends to be.
The last component of metabolism is Exercise Activity. This is where weight training can have the greatest impact. While cardiovascular exercise burns calories while engaged in the activity and sometimes for several hours after, lifting weights to build lean muscle will enhance the body’s ability to burn calories even while resting.
When you body has lean muscle, it burns more calories than when it doesn’t. The body must work harder to build muscle. After a weight-training workout, your body must repair damaged muscle fibers through a process in which it fuses them together to form new myofibrils that are thicker and stronger. It takes so much energy to facilitate this repair that it happens when we sleep and many take days.
Once you have these stronger muscles, often referred to as hypertrophy, your body will need additional energy on a daily basis to simply fuel your body’s basic needs (basal metabolism) and to fuel everyday activities (NEAT).
The beauty of muscle is that as you gain more and more, you not only increase your metabolism (your body’s ability to burn calories), but your energy also increases, improving your ability to exercise, and with consistency, your body gets stronger and more efficient with any and all activities that you do.
And NO you won’t looking “manly”. Stop being fooled by the media ads that continues to suggest that building muscle will make one look “bulky” and “manly”, and that lifting weights should be avoided, and that you should be using pilates, cardio-intensive classes and yoga to achieve a lean body instead. These ads make me cringe, because while pilates, cardio classes and yoga are all fantastic for the body, lifting weights is truly the answer to achieving and maintaining a lean body long term.
While I would never tell anyone to refrain from doing an activity they enjoy, however, if you want to change your shape and turn your body into a fat burning machine strength training is a must!
Not to mention, lifting weights will also make you stronger, and feeling stronger is one of the most effective self-confidence boosters around!
If you’re ready to add some strength training to your exercise routine in 2020, then keep reading because I have a Black Friday Deal for you!!!
Between November 26-30th you can secure your spot in my January Semi-Private Group Training Classes for ONLY $97!!! That’s $8 per class ladies.
I only have 12 spots available so grab your spot today and SAVE!!
These classes are designed to help you reset your metabolism, so that you can burn fat, tone-up and feel confident in your skin again. You will reap consistent results from the moment you start!
Let’s smash your fat loss and fitness goals in 2020!!
See you in class!
~ Coach Courtney