Exercise is purposefully placing stress on your body… And that’s not a bad thing. Unfortunately, we have the best intentions and a boatload of ambition, but a body that is not quite ready for all of that action. As a result, we tend overdo it and then quickly burn out and give up like I did most of the time. So, let’s find some balance. A healthy amount of stress is what we need to find and then adapt to.

Through self-examination we usually find that we are either terribly lazy, or driven with a compulsive behavior. Seeking to burn more calories and more fat we need to build more muscle. Usually that points towards doing some resistance training, or even lifting some weights. Running and biking, even a stationary bike would probably not be enough even though that’s all I thought I needed to do. When I finally realized what needed to be done in order for my body to build muscle I was overcome by FEAR, because I was afraid of doing any type of resistance training whatsoever.

 

“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” Dr. Henry Link

 

So, rule #1 is - don’t be overcome by fear like I was! We will overcome fear head on, together. We’ll start with a workout that is most effective at building muscle since that is the most important aspect - building and preserving muscle. That is where you start to lose weight.

 

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing that what must be done does away with fear.” Rosa Parks

 

Big first step here is to build and preserve muscle. And who cares how much weight you can lift? Do whatever you are able to do and you will soon see yourself getting stronger and making improvements over time that will truly surprise you. You need to start somewhere and everywhere/anywhere can be a beginning. You should also feel better and have more energy after your workout. Don’t exhaust and beat yourself up. Don’t workout to failure (or, until you can’t do another rep of an exercise) because that puts too much stress on your body increasing your risk of injury, and potentially worsening fatigue and muscle soreness. PRACTICE strength training just like you would do anything else in your life to get better. Learn and practice the skill of each exercise. Perfect it! Remember, you’re in this for life!

 

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself- the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us- that’s where it’s at.” Jesse Owens

 

I also found it very important to better understand what’s going on inside my body during this new transformation I was undertaking. I learned that muscle building, hormone balancing, metabolism boosting, and fat loss all happen after the workout. You’re not burning as many calories during strength training as you would be during cardio, but the benefits come afterwards. When you stop your cardio (running, walking, bicycling, etc.…) that fat oxidation (fat burning) stops. During strength training, you’re burning mostly glucose (sugar stored in your blood & muscle) for energy. In the post strength training window, the body will replenish that oxidized glucose and it will increase fat oxidation (fat burning) to a much more significant degree for a longer period of time compared to just doing cardio. Basically, when you do strength training, weight loss starts off slow, but your body burns more fat in the long term to fuel itself in order to support your new muscle gain.

 

Also, strength training directly promotes a youthful hormone profile which results in an immediate boost in growth hormone, an immediate improvement in insulin sensitivity (your body will require less insulin), and strength training gives the body a good cortisol balance. (Cortisol gives us energy and it usually spikes in the morning when we wake up. If cortisol is high all the time it promotes fat storage). Men will also begin to see higher testosterone levels and women will see a better balance in their estrogen levels. I must point out that muscle boosting hormones such as testosterone are also important in women, and men also need healthy estrogen levels. To summarize, when you send a signal to the body saying that you need muscle, and that you need strength, your body then organizes its hormones to do so. Amazing how our bodies work!

It’s helpful to know the unique effects strength training has on your body as you establish a consistent exercise routine. Not only will you naturally burn more fat having more muscle, but you’ll maintain strength as you age and improve other functions in your life as well. The results you get from strength training are more permanent than any other form of exercise.