Lift to Lose

How often do you hear that you have to do cardio in order to lose weight?  The fitness centers promote this concept by filling space with rows of treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes.  And usually, there is a time limit on them because they are in demand.  We spend countless hours literally going nowhere in the hopes of getting a slim figure.  There’s another way:  weight lifting.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Cardiovascular exercise is very important for maintaining a healthy heart and preventing diabetes and a host of other diseases.  But, it’s just one component of fitness and furthermore, weight loss.  Do you hop on the elliptical because you know how many calories you will burn in 30 minutes?  The calorie counter makes you a slave to the machine.  Well, what if I told you it was possible to burn even more calories in the same amount of time by strength training?

But first, let’s discuss how your body burns calories.  It takes energy (or calories) to keep your brain functioning, heart beating, breathing, digesting, etc.  Most of the calories you burn daily come from your metabolism.  While you are reading this, you are burning calories.  To put it in perspective, the 200 calories you burn during your walk on the treadmill are nothing compared to the amount of calories you burn just by living.

One of the many benefits of exercise is the afterburn effect.  After your workout, your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate than normal.  It only lasts for a short time, though, before returning to normal.  The cool thing about strength training is the afterburn lasts longer than when compared to a cardio workout.  In other words, your metabolism is revved up for up to two hours after a weight-lifting workout.

So, give yourself the freedom to step away from the bright lights of high-tech calorie trackers and step into the area where there is rarely a wait for equipment.  When you combine cardio, weights, and healthy nutrition, the body you’ve always wanted will appear.  Slowly, mind you.  It won’t happen after a week or even a month.  But, it will happen!