Burn Baby Burn

Again, here I am singing and being inspired to write because of a song! Whatever works, right?! I'm sitting here laughing because I just finished yet another load of laundry. But this load of laundry is extra special because in it are my “fat pants” that I have chosen to wear and feel comfortable in for the past two months or so. I admit that they are not the most flattering things I could choose to wear, but I currently and unfortunately don't find anything flattering about the body I am sporting and just can't get myself to don any of my super cute workout wear. Even though I have two brand new pair of work out shoes that Santa brought that are still sitting in my closet waiting until I feel “cute enough” to sport with my hip workout clothes. Anyway, I am laughing as I fold my fat pants (yet again since I have only one pair and must wash them often!) and sing the old Bee Gees song Disco Inferno because really the only part of the lyrics that I recall are “burn, baby, burn”! I can't tell you how many times over the past couple of months my wonderfully sweet friends have threatened to steal my fat pants and burn them. And I had to chuckle a couple weekends ago when my family went ice skating and I came out of my room wearing a pair of jeans and my husband said, “Thank God you ditched the fat pants for a few hours!”. Are they really that bad y'all?! LOL. Yep, I can see all of you nodding your heads and saying “now that you mention it, I do hate those pants!”. It's all good.  Am I going to have to start hiding my beloved pants for fear that they may mysteriously disappear?!

On a more serious note, let's talk about burning fat. I'm frequently asked if given the choice between cardio and lifting weights, which would I choose. I have to tell you it will almost always be lifting. Of course the perfect case scenario would be to do both: fasted cardio right when I wake up in the morning followed by a weight lifting program at the gym and if time allows, a second medium intensity cardio session. But if I was short on time and had to pick one, it would be lifting. Not only do I love lifting weights because of the amazing visible transformations that can be seen in my physique, but building lean muscle mass is truly the foundation of successful fat burning. Did you know that muscle revs up your metabolism? Did you know that muscle even burns fat while you are sleeping? How cool is that?! Here's a quote from Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, "For every 3 pounds of muscle you build you'll burn an extra 120 calories a day -- just vegging -- because muscle takes more energy to sustain”. Over the course of a year, that's about 10 pounds of fat -- without even changing your diet. Yes, please. I'm sure everyone who has met with a personal trainer at the gym has been shown the two huge rubbery blobs, one representing fat and the other representing muscle. They both weigh the same, but the muscle blob is much smaller. So, when and if you start a weight lifting program and you don't see actual weight loss on the scale, do not be discouraged. Muscle weighs more than fat. Think of it this way...It takes up less space in your jeans! LOL. Happy lifting!