HEALTH
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MUSCLE& COMMON SENSE Basic Understandings to A Healthier You By Irma Barzdaite Personal Fitness Trainer and Nutritional Specialist. EQF L4 | EREPS
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ave you ever wondered why there are more ways of losing weight these days, but yet more people are getting out of shape? Obesity is increasing the world over as fitness organizations and gurus try desperately to tackle this global problem that has the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development) predicting 2 out of 3 people will be clinically obese by the year 2020. But with so much information out there, how do I know what to do? Like everything, there are basic understandings we can use as the foundations to a healthier lifestyle in the midst of our busy lives. Understanding HOW we get out of shape is the first step in taking action. Let me explain it to you in simple terms. As we age, our bodies begin to loose muscle. Research shows that between the ages of 30 and 60 you will loose approximately 60% of your muscle mass. So why is this so important and what has it got to do with body fat?
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Muscle loss slows down your metabolism (the rate that you burn your fat for energy) by up to 45%. 1lb of muscle burns 50 calories at rest. This is the reason why we start getting out of shape as we get older and our bodies start the infamous ‘sagging’ process! So, what is the answer..? Whatever form of fitness training you are doing, it must include you gaining muscle or at the very least not losing it. There is no point in looking at a slightly smaller number on the scales and kidding yourself in thinking that this means you are in better shape when all you have really done is helped the aging process along. So gaining even a few pounds of muscle will increase your metabolism and is crucial to this whole process.
But what about my food, what should I eat? Once again, my advice again is simple, EAT NATURAL FOODS! Stay away from processed food, which has ‘very little calories’. Do not be fooled by the modern day marketing phenomenon of making us believe that everything is to do with low calories. Fresh, locally sourced food with no or little additives should always be the basis of any diet you do. Common sense goes a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, if you buy a soda drink advertised as having no sugar, and it still tastes sweat it means there are other sweetening agents that more than often have a worse effect on the body than sugar. So build muscle, eat natural foods and above all, use good old fashion common sense. These are the basic understandings to your new and approved healthier lifestyle.
Irma Barzdaite is a fully qualified Personal Fitness Instructor with the European Health & Fitness Association and is a member of EREPS. With more than 5 years experience in the personal fitness industry, Irma has worked with thousands of individuals on a one to one basis helping them achieve their health and lifestyle goals. Her system of training and nutrition is unique, delivering results much quicker, more effective and longer lasting than most other fitness institutions today. Irma can be contacted at irma@irmafitness.com