Our holiday season calorie furnace

Most of us probably store more calories (in the form of fat) than we would like to over the holidays, but then most of us probably didn’t intend to under eat at the events scattered throughout this festive time of year!  

There are two things that usually seem to happen during the holidays: An increase of calorie intake and a decrease in intense physical activity. When we have a decrease in physical activity but an increase in caloric intake over an extended time period, it simply tells our body to store this energy until later in our fat cells and fatty deposit areas. 

Muscle is our body’s fat burning furnace. The more you have of it and the more toned and conditioned it is, the hotter your thermogenic (fat burning) fire will be! We too often relate a decrease in metabolism to aging, but it’s not nearly so much the aging factor as it is a decrease in quality muscle mass. 

The two primary causes of this is our decrease in physical activity and our diet! These two factors coincidently are the two main contributing factors in the aging process as well. 

Boosting metabolism and slowing the aging process are some really good reasons to add extra muscle and strength to your life, especially when combined with better joint health, mobility, and a better-looking shape!

When we build muscle, there are three stages that increase the pace that our body burns calories:

1. During exercise (working muscles need fuel) 

2. Recovery (our body has to move nutrients to broken down areas for the recovery process and in building stronger muscle) 

3. The added muscle burns extra calories at the pace of about 13-16 calories a day per pound.

Keep in mind that the first two months of a good exercise program and diet increases a lot of muscle weight, while decreasing the fat weight so often we do not see a lot of scale change until after the second month. Usually by the 2nd month muscle we already have has toned up, so it’s not unusual for a person to gain 8-12 pounds of muscle while losing 12-15 pounds of fat in the first two months. 

This means that some will only see a 3-pound decrease on the scale for all this effort. The reward is in increased muscle strength, increased metabolism, and a better shape! 

Building muscle while losing fat keeps us from having the shrunken balloon syndrome and appearance. When we let some air out of a balloon, with nothing to replace it, the balloon gets a saggy and older looking appearance. This is also why a person may look better and healthier at a larger size.

If you want to increase your body’s natural capability to burn off fat and extra calories, the answer is in toning and building muscle and not in expensive fat burners that boost a fake metabolism. Age is not an excuse either; you can tone and build muscle at any age! 

Your body is designed to be a survival machine with an internal doctor that works constantly, so whatever our starting point is, let’s give it the tools it needs to do its job!