The food you eat is the fuel, measured in calories. Just like a car needs fuel to go places, your body needs calories to do everything from breathing, to running, to lifting, etc.
The Concept of “Calories In vs. Calories Out”
This is essentially like managing your fuel. “Calories in” are the calories you get from eating and drinking. “Calories out” are the calories your body uses for things like keeping your heart beating, digesting food, and any physical activity you do.
If you put in more fuel (eat more calories) than your car uses (your body burns), the extra gets stored as fat, just like if you overfill a car’s gas tank and it overflows.
On the flip side, if you use more fuel than you put in, your body starts to use up its stored fuel (fat) to make up the difference, leading to weight loss.
Understanding this balance can help you manage your weight and energy levels better. It’s like learning how to keep your car running smoothly without overflowing the tank or running out of gas.
Now Let’s Talk About Your Engine (Metabolism)
I want you to imagine your car has an engine that’s always running, even when it’s parked. This engine represents your body’s metabolism, which is how fast your body uses energy (or burns calories) even when you’re not moving, like when you’re sleeping or sitting.
Now, strength training is like upgrading your car’s engine to a more powerful one. A more powerful engine burns more fuel even when the car is just idling.
Similarly, when you build muscle through strength training, your body burns more calories all the time, even when you’re not exercising.
Muscle tissue is like a fuel-hungry engine – it uses more calories than fat tissue does. Some people worry that starting strength training will make them look too “bulky” or overly muscular, like turning their car into a massive truck they didn’t want.
However, becoming significantly muscular requires a lot of specific and intense training, plus a diet aimed at building size.
For most people, regular strength training will just make the engine (metabolism) more efficient and might give the car (body) a sleeker, more “toned” (for lack of a better word) appearance, rather than turning it into a bulky machine.
What Happens If You Avoid Strength Training?
If you avoid strength training and don’t do any physical activity, your car’s engine (metabolism) doesn’t get that upgrade.
Over time, if you keep putting in the same amount of fuel (eating the same amount of calories) or more, without using it (burning it through activity), the excess fuel gets stored as fat.
This is because you;re not exerting energy through muscle work, and your body’s natural calorie-burning rate might slow down as muscle can gradually be lost over time without use.
By not starting strength training out of fear of becoming “bulky,” you might miss out on the opportunity to boost your metabolism and make your body more efficient at using calories, potentially leading to weight gain if you’re consuming more than you’re burning.
Regular strength training can help ensure that your body’s engine is running optimally, using fuel efficiently and reducing the risk of many other things down the track.
Instead of worrying about looking “bulky,” think of strength training as the ultimate tool to enhance your metabolism, build strength, and empower your body to work at its best – both now and in the future.