Why do people find it so difficult to get into shape and then to stay there? Science shows us that as we age, we lose 30 per cent of our muscle mass. This can lead to cardiovascular problems and poorly functioning organs and with very little effort our bodies go shapeless as we lose our strength.
Research also shows that muscle loss can slow down our metabolism, the rate at which we burn food and body fat for energy, by up to 45 per cent. Studies have found that each pound of muscle burns between 50 and 100 calories per day and that 90 per cent of the calories we burn on a daily basis are due to our muscle. If your metabolism slows down and your food intake remains the same then you will put on weight.
Normally when people want to get into shape, lose weight, or get fit they start to do some form of aerobic exercise or they go on a low calorie starvation diet. Worryingly, most of the weight loss can be muscle — the one vital thing that we should hold onto to remain youthful, fit, and full of energy.
People don’t realise the effect that aerobic exercise and low calorie dieting has on their systems. This slows their metabolism and then when their willpower eventually runs out they pile back on all the weight. Now it makes sense why people struggle to get into shape and lose weight.
So what is the solution? If you want to improve your shape you must at all costs increase or replace lost lean muscle tissue. The only real way to do this is to do short intensive bursts of exercise, preferably resistance exercise. Sessions should be at a maximum intensity and should be kept to below 30 minutes.
Tara McFadden of Educogym in Oranmore provides a personally designed programme that involves mainly weight resistance exercise and the results achieved by clients to date have been very impressive. If you are considering starting a fitness programme surely you would only bother with the one that’s going to get you results.
“I can’t believe how fast I got results in the Educogym,” said Mairead, an Educogym client. “I lost seven pounds of fat in two weeks, but more importantly I gained three pounds of muscle. I love the exercise as it’s short and my energy is great. I can now enjoy the long term benefits of having a better metabolism and never struggle with my weight again.”
Tara McFadden is a personal trainer and runs Educogym at Main Street, Oranmore. Special autumn offers are now available. There is no sign up fee or annual membership, and you can see amazing results in as little as 12 weeks. Contact Tara McFadden on (091 ) 788880 or e-mail [email protected]
