The above picture compares 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle. Horrifying, isn’t it?! Well, let’s work on getting rid of those fats and gaining on those lovely lean muscle.
And just to clarify two little myth…
MYTH: Exercise converts fat into muscles.
FACT: Fats and muscles are two different…things. There is nothing in our bodies that can convert fatty acids into protein. But we can burn fat and build muscles!
MYTH: I don’t want to be bulky, so I don’t need to build muscles (hence more cardio less weight training)
FACT: I used to be a victim of this myth. Until a helpful personal trainer told me “1 pound of muscles gained can help you burn an additional 30 calories a day.” In other words, in order for your body to maintain the muscle mass, it actually has to work more and burn more calories (even when you are not actively exercising). And packing on muscles won’t make us look bulky because it actually takes very strict high protein diet (and a lot a lot A LOT of weight lifting) to achieve that kind of body shape (which most of us don’t do). So throw in a little bit of weight training in your workouts and remember to stretch afterwards for toner leaner look!
