Muscle burns at least four times the calories fat does! So do weights / resistance training e.g. 15 mins x 2 or 3 times a week
According to the American Council on Exercise, fat burns approx 2 calories per pound while muscle burns 6 – 10… So for each 1 lb of fat you swap for 1 lb of muscle, you’ll burn 3 – 8 extra calories daily… The sounds small but multiply it by several pounds of extra muscle and your metabolism will really be significantly faster!
Muscle weighs more than fat – it’s denser. So 1 lb of muscle takes up less space than 1 lb of fat… e.g. if two ladies weigh the same, the lady with more muscle will:
– appear smaller
– (if she does strength training), she’ll be burning more calories for hours after her work out
– she’ll be slowing down or halting the decrease in muscle mass that happens as you age