You can’t turn fat into muscle

Guys, do you have man-boobs? Ladies, are your love handles hanging over your pants? Are you starting to resemble this cute pig? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could exercise a bunch, and turn all your fat into muscle?

As nice as it would be, it’s just not possible. You have to lose the fat that’s sitting on top of your muscle before it will show. And to firm up your muscle, you need to do strength training.

The best way to lose fat is a combination of healthy eating and exercise. Cardiovascular activity burns calories, but strength training increases muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat does, so it makes sense to build up your muscles. So which do you do? Cardio or strength training?

If you can fit both into your routine, you’ll get the best results by doing cardio AND strength training. But unless you do that, accompanied with a healthy, low-fat diet, you won’t even see those muscles underneath the fat. It’s sad but true.

So, starting today watch your fat intake, especially trans fats or anything made with hydrogenated oils. Stay away from that as much as possible. Eat lots of veggies and lean meat like skinless turkey or poultry. Fish is also great and contains Omega-3 fats which are really healthy for you. (Not all fats are bad).

Do some cardio like running, brisk walking, sports, etc., followed by some strength training like crunches or curls. There are tons of ways to do this, those are just a couple examples. Pick something you enjoy doing or you’ll just be torturing yourself and you’ll quickly give up.

And very important! Don’t forget to warm up before exercising and cool down afterward with some stretches. Warming up before your workout prepares your muscles by literally warming them up.

If you start off with cold muscles, you could injure yourself. Warming up also increases the blood circulation and oxygen flow throughout your body which will help maximize your fat burning potential. Stretching after your workout will help elongate your muscles and prevent ‘bulkiness’.

So what are you waiting for? Get started!