One of the major parts of my life is strength training/fitness. For my doctoral dissertation at Liberty, I wrote "A Fitness Model For Pastors." It's not just for pastors, but it had to be ministry related for my degree. I'm a nobody so I haven't been able to get it published (although I'll keep trying), but I'll start sharing some of it if there's any interest in it. I must warn you - it's probably not what you want to hear. There's ONE KEY to a lifestyle of fitness, and it's not diet or any type of cardio. It's strength training. Generally speaking, people are ignorant about strength training. I'll share more about it later, but I'll start with another completely misunderstood topic: METABOLISM.
Metabolism generally refers to the number of calories a person burns at any given moment, regardless of whether the person is active or resting. Products that claim to boost metabolism are readily available, but they are all cons. The manufacturers of these products are trying to take advantage of the myths and misunderstandings of metabolism. Some people believe that metabolism naturally slows with age and nothing can be done about it. Others believe they will always be fat because they naturally have a slow metabolism and they may as well accept it. People feel better about themselves when they believe such myths. It is more reassuring and comforting to believe that genetics are solely responsible for excess body fat and that health problems have nothing to do with a lifetime of unhealthy habits. It is also more reassuring and comforting to believe that a weight-loss pill or metabolism booster will one day be developed, providing toned, fit bodies without any work. These thoughts may be comforting, but they are not based on reality.
When most people talk about metabolism, they have resting metabolic rate (RMR) in mind, the number of calories a body needs to maintain its vital functions. The brain, heart, kidneys, and other organs are constantly at work, and they need energy in the form of calories to function. RMR depends primarily on a person’s fat-free mass, which includes muscle, bone, blood, organs, and tissue. Fat is inert. It just takes up space and does nothing. The more fat-free mass a person has, the more energy he will use to function. Since vital functions account for 60 - 75 percent of the total calories a person burns in a day, most calories are burned by simply staying alive. Muscle is the only fat-free mass that can be efficiently increased, so RMR is directly related to muscle mass: the more muscle, the higher the RMR.
Strength training is the most effective way to increase muscle mass, and therefore, metabolism. Forget pills, powders, books and commercials and start strength training. Another common myth is that strength training has nothing to do with weight loss, and will only result in weight gain. Some people, women in particular, avoid strength training for this reason alone. They believe that strength training will give them big, bulky muscles. It will not. Steroids have impacted the image the average person has of weight lifters. Without steroids, it is not humanly possible to look like the comic book, hero-like bodies that grace the cover of muscle magazines. Believing the myth and avoiding strength training is the worst thing that can happen for a lifetime of fitness. Strength training has the potential to burn as many calories as cardio, while simultaneously revving up RMR. Venuto writes, “Weight training may be the most important but underappreciated and neglected type of exercise for burning fat.”
THIS IS ABOUT HALF THE SECTION ON METABOLISM. I'LL FINISH IT IF ANYONE CARES TO HEAR THE REST.
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