If your muscles could talk, what do you think they would want you to know?  Of course we hear our muscles screaming loud and clear when we are sore or injured, but how about in the course of a regular day?  What do your muscles do when you’re at rest? What do they need to thrive?  Do they ever get bored?  FitClub has the answers you need to better understand what your muscles would say if they could talk.

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1.  Use them or lose them.  As we age, it’s common for us to begin to lose muscle mass.  Whether you want to build lean muscle mass or just maintain your current level of fitness, your muscles need to be challenged just to maintain the status quo.  Strength training challenges your muscles and can help prevent muscle loss.  Weight training, resistance training and body weight training are all excellent ways to prevent muscle loss and build leaner, stronger muscles throughout your body.

2.  More muscle burns more calories.  Even when you’re not working out, muscle burns calories and maintains a healthy metabolism.  The more lean muscle your body has, the more calories your body is able to burn while at rest.  Lean muscle mass is critical to avoiding unwanted weight gain even when you can’t actively be burning calories at FitClub.  

3.  Feed your muscles well.  If you asked your muscles what they wanted more of in your diet, the answer would always be PROTEIN!  Protein is essential for building and maintaining healthy, lean, and strong muscle.  Muscles also want whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice to provide energy as they work to support your lifestyle and burn calories.  A high sugar, high fat food may seem like a “reward” after a long-grueling workout, but that’s exactly what your muscles hate most.  In fact, researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute found that just five days of a high-fat diet changed the way the body’s muscles used macronutrients.  Skip the drive through to avoid undoing all the good you’ve been doing at FitClub!

4.  Muscles need adequate rest.  Workouts are stress for your muscles, and that stress causes your muscles to heal and grow back stronger and leaner than before.  Stress is a good thing for muscles, but too much stress can cause negative side effects.  Allowing for appropriate recovery time between workouts, high quality sleep and a healthy diet enables your muscles to adapt and better prepare for the next workout.

What do you hear your muscles say?  Do you have a go-to routine for keeping your muscle mass happy, healthy, and productive?