<section class="article-section">I've been working in the health and Fitness industry for almost 15 years. There are so many myth and misconception that need to be clarify. Its so important to understand how muscle mass can help boost your metabolism but can do so much more for you. I work in a weight training room for many years and most women that came ask for my help been afraid of gaining muscle mass. I often wonder why they were so afraid until I discover some magazine in the 70-80 of women working out. Most of them on steroids looking more like men than women. First I need to reassure everyone out there, without steroid, gaining lean muscle mass is not that easy. Actually its pretty difficult for most women to "bulk" up unless you are very serious about your training, train everyday and eat lot and lot of protein.Lot of people blame their weight on a slow metabolism and even genetic, but what does that means? Can you boost your metabolism to burn more calories? Actually your metabolism is not to be blame for your weight, ultimately your physical activity and food &amp; beverage intake will determine how much your weight.  There are other factors that contribute such as genetic, lifestyle, environment, sleep, stress.
<div id="adsmobileBottom"> Metabolism is the process in which your body converts what you put into your mouth into energy. Even when you rest your body need energy for all basic functions such as breathing, adjusting hormone levels, growing, repair, circulation blood, digestion,. The number of calories your body need to carry theses basic functions is call basal metabolic rate also call metabolism. Several factor determine your metabolism:</div>
<ul>
 	<li>Body size and composition; the more muscle you have the more calorie you burn, even at rest.</li>
 	<li>Gender/sex; men usually have more muscle and less body fat than women, so they burn more calories</li>
 	<li>Age: as you get older you lose muscle mass so you burn less calorie</li>
</ul>
<div id="adsmobileBottom"> There are some factors that we can't control to help our metabolism and to be able to burn more calories. One factor that we can control is strenght training to increase our muscle mass. Did you know that after age 20, you lose approximately one-half pound of muscle per year, reports the American Council on Exercise.  If you need more reasons why you should do more muscle building activity like lifting weight, bodyweight training, HIIT, I've decided to do a list of reasons to motivate you.</div>
<ul>
 	<li>Increase metabolism: as we already discuss, the more muscle you have the more calorie you burn, that amazing!</li>
 	<li>Improve health: you can manage symptoms of chronic conditions like theumatoid arthritis, back pain, diabete, obesity...</li>
 	<li>Appearance: muscle take less space that fat, if you don't know about this, read my article muscle versus fat. So by increasing your muscle mass, you can look lean and toned and fit in your clothes better. Even if you are to skinny you can create beautiful curves in your body.</li>
 	<li>Control blood sugar and decreases risk of diabetes: that will help maintien a healthy weight and prevent long term disease</li>
 	<li>Decrease resting blood pressure: it makes your heart stronger and can pump more blood with less effort.</li>
 	<li>Physical performance: if you just get started, your nervous system might need up to 8 weeks to ajust to your new routine. After you will start seeing gain in strength and performance.</li>
 	<li>Decrease risk injury: when your body is stronger, mobile and flexible, your will decrease your risk of injury. When you do weight bearing exercise not only your muscle get stronger, but also your tendons and ligaments.</li>
 	<li>To be stronger:</li>
 	<li>To have more energy: when you are stronger, you can handle more. You will be better equipped to deal with it.</li>
 	<li>Stronger bones: that right, resistance training strengthen your bones.</li>
 	<li>To elevate your mood: stress can cause so much harm on you. When you workout, your body release natural painkillers, opiates.</li>
</ul>
<div id="section-2" class="section">
<div id="section-4" class="section">

<strong>9. Improves Immune System. </strong>Your body’s immune system becomes more effective when you exercise. You can expect to get fever colds. You get a boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria, so any infection will be healed faster. This benefit is not just temporary.  Consistent exercise leads to substantial improvements in your immune system over the long-term. Be aware that over-training will do the opposite, reduce your immune response and make you more susceptible to illness.

<strong>10. The mirror effect, a benefit you can see. </strong>This may not be one of the scientifically proven benefits of strength training, but it damn sure is one of the more enticing ones.When you look good, how much better will it make you feel? Just the boost in confidence can make a huge difference.
<h2><strong>Convinced Yet?</strong></h2>
Sometimes just the facts won’t convince you, but what will convince you is when you start experiencing the results for yourself, so get off your behind, and get to a gym.

Keep at it for a few months and watch your mood and health skyrocket, your muscles grow, and your sleep get deeper.

If you’re still confused about how to get started, don’t worry, keep browsing this website, and you will find everything you need to build muscle the smart way.

</div>
Doing weight-bearing exercises to build muscle mass can also help build bone density which helps prevent and ease the symptoms of osteoporosis. Increased muscle mass usually means more strength, which can help you better perform activities of daily living.

</div>
</section><section class="article-section">
<h2 class="header"><span data-dmc="section-headline">Weight Control</span></h2>
<p data-dmc="section">As far as metabolism goes, muscle mass is the "engine" of the calorie-burning machine. As you strength train and increase your muscle mass, you build a bigger, more efficient engine that burns more calories and helps you lose weight. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to maintain your weight. In fact, the higher your muscle mass, the more calories you'll burn when you rest. For every pound of muscle you gain, your body uses about 50 extra calories a day.</p>

<section class="article-section">
<h2 class="header"><span data-dmc="section-headline">Increased Strength</span></h2>
<p data-dmc="section">The average person begins losing lean body mass as young as 25 years of age People lose about 10 percent of their muscle by age 50, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. By the time you reach your 60s and 70s, your muscle strength will decrease by about 15 percent per decade -- and about 30 percent thereafter. However, older adults who perform adequate strength and resistance training can increase their strength as much as threefold within two to three months. Increasing your strength will help you lead a more active lifestyle infused with spontaneous activity.</p>

<section class="article-module"></section></section><section class="article-section">
<h2 class="header"><span data-dmc="section-headline">Reduced Risk of Injury</span></h2>
<p data-dmc="section">Building muscle also helps protect your joints from injury. As you age, balance may become an issue that can lead to fractured hip bones or other injuries related to falls. Stronger muscles help support your joints -- this can help you lead a more independent lifestyle as you age.</p>

</section><section class="article-section">
<h2 class="header"><span data-dmc="section-headline">Miscellaneous Benefits</span></h2>
<p data-dmc="section">Increased muscle mass makes you stronger so you'll have more stamina when you perform physical activities. As you become more active, your quality of life most likely will improve. Stronger muscles also counteract the side effects of weak muscles, which may cause instability and structural pain. Strong, toned muscles also enhance your appearance, boost your self-esteem and make you feel better overall.</p>

<h2>Muscle Helps Control Blood Sugar</h2>
Strength training and sufficient sleep and dietary protein increases the size of type II muscle fibers. These fibers store carbohydrate, or sugar. More type II muscle fiber density translates to more storage space for carbohydrates.
<blockquote>More than one third of the population has prediabetes, yet only one in ten of those who have it, know they have it.[v] If that’s not bad enough, the growth of full-blown diabetes is expected to rise 64% from 2010 to 2025.[vi]</blockquote>
This isn’t a concern only for those who are overweight. Seemingly healthy or thin individuals often develop blood sugar problems form poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles and a lack of resistance training as well. We even see it in those who are avid runners, but who disregard the importance of resistance training or eat excessive levels of carbohydrates.

Elevated blood sugar increases the presence of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are associated with cancer.[vii] There’s also indication elevated blood sugar levels can lead to other degenerative diseases like dementia or Alzheimer’s, and, of course, heart disease.

Insulin resistance develops when the body’s blood sugar levels stay elevated for a prolonged period of time. The only two places sugar is stored is in the liver and muscle. The liver has a small capacity. Muscle has a limited capacity as well, but you can build more muscle, creating more storage space for blood sugar.

Insulin resistance and diabetes can increase the rate of muscle loss, more than being sedentary alone.

Part of the reason people experience a rise in blood sugar as they age is from the loss of muscle. It doesn’t have to be that way. Or it at least doesn’t have to be that extreme.

Big muscles = big carbohydrate storage tanks.
<h2>Building Muscle Usually Builds Bone Too</h2>
Bone density is often a topic discussed more with women than men. Five times as many women as men end up with osteoporosis. According to the CDC, 2% of men and 10% of women have osteoporosis of the hip in the United States.[viii]

Calcium, <a title="Thorne Magnesium Citramate" href="https://shop.lifetimefitness.com/Products/Nutritional-Products/Vitamins%2C-Minerals%2C-Antioxidants-%26-Fish-Oil/Thorne-Magnesium-Citramate---90-count/p/3992" target="_blank">magnesium</a>, and <a title="Vitamin D Complex" href="https://shop.lifetimefitness.com/Products/Nutritional-Products/Vitamins%2C-Minerals%2C-Antioxidants-%26-Fish-Oil/Thorne-FX-Vitamin-D-Complex/p/2824" target="_blank">vitamin D and K</a> supplementation have been shown to help maintain bone density, but supplementation alone is not enough to maintain bone density. The body must consistently be stimulated with outside resistance to maximize bone density. Like muscles, when bones don’t encounter heavy resistance, their density decreases.

Another bone or joint-related issue with aging is arthritis. Because of the pain often associated with arthritis, many people refrain from activity and resistance training. However, increasing lean body mass can actually help to improve some forms of arthritis.[ix]

Strong muscles almost always translate to strong bones.
<h2>Building Muscle Helps Manage Body Fat</h2>
Maintaining muscle requires more energy than almost any other tissue in the body. A few organs burn more calories by weight than muscle, such as the brain, which uses about 20% of the body’s calories each day. However, you’re not going to grow a bigger brain to burn more calories.

Building or maintaining muscle is your best option for boosting metabolic rate. Under normal circumstances,
<blockquote>metabolic rate begins to drop after age 20 at a rate of 2-3% per decade. By the age of 50, metabolic rate drops even faster, averaging 4% per decade. By age 70, metabolic rate has dropped as much as 30%.[x]</blockquote>
As metabolic rate drops, it becomes more difficult to keep body fat from accumulating. Cutting back on calorie intake leads to further muscle loss, which can further reduces metabolic rate.

Adding excessive cardiovascular training on top of a reduced-calorie diet further speeds the loss of muscle mass.[xi]

Whenever I think of the how lean mass affects the ability to maintain a healthy body fat level, I immediately picture some of the “skinny fat” clients I had in the past.

In street clothes, these individuals looked thin and fairly healthy. As soon as I’d grab their arms or legs to take their body fat measures, I’d feel the softness in their arms and legs.

Though their arms and legs weren’t excessively big, they were very soft and squishy. A lot like my injured arm I mentioned above.

The greater lean mass one maintains throughout a fat loss or weight loss program, the greater the chance the weight will stay off long-term.

More muscle, and a good diet, usually leads to a leaner body.
<h2>Building Muscle Builds Self-Confidence</h2>
So often, we focus on the physical health benefits of strength training. But, in my experience, the mental health benefits from gaining strength are equally powerful.

I <em>loved </em>seeing the self-confidence grow in my clients as they gained strength and power.

Different than competitive sports, the accomplishments associated with building muscle are internal.

Seeing the outline of a deltoid muscle, a line down the thigh or the shape of the triceps from leaning on a table for the first time is a pretty awesome feeling. Setting a personal record in the squat or deadlift was something to celebrate.
<blockquote>I remember seeing the smile on the face of many women I trained who did their first pullup. And then their first 10.</blockquote>
The confidence from their fitness program often led to more confidence in their personal and work life as well.

Building muscle often builds self-esteem.
<h2>Building Lean Mass</h2>
If it were up to me, I’d start a “Lean Mass Movement.” We should put more attention on lifestyle, exercise and nutrition choices that support lean body mass. In doing so, we could combat a number of the diseases that cripple people as they reach the later part of their lives.

Eat plenty of high-quality protein. Get at least seven hours of quality sleep every night. Make sure your hormones are at optimal levels. Weight train (with perfect form) with loads you’ve never lifted before – squat, press, pull and deadlift.

Make your body work hard, and your body will work hard for you.

Thanks for reading. If you learned something new, please share the post on your favorite social media channel.

If you want to learn more now about how we design our programs to support lean mass and other goals, using our Core 3 Training™ methodologies http://www.core3training.com/how-building-muscle-makes-life-more-awesome/
<ol>
 	<li><strong>Skeletal muscle is metabolically active. </strong>Build it and it will burn more calories throughout the day. Work it hard and it will require more energy during the recovery process. It is not rocket science; it just takes strength training with effort.</li>
 	<li><strong>Building and strengthening skeletal muscle fortifies the bones, ligaments, and tendons.</strong>This will minimize the risk of injury that can occur in sport competition, training, getting out of your car, or playing with your kids.</li>
 	<li><strong>Skeletal muscle gives you shape, "tone,” and that “fit” look.</strong> Build muscle - lose fat - look great.You’ll have more self-confidence. You’ll look good at the beach or pool. You won’t be afraid to buy those clothes you’ve been wanting. Bottom line: skeletal muscle is sexier than fat. Do the math.</li>
 	<li><strong>Want to do the "cardio" thing? It is skeletal muscle that moves the body.</strong> Work it hard and guess what? You’ll stress your heart-vascular system. Try a high-energy twenty-minute workout as opposed to a low-level fifty-minute walk in the park. It will burn more calories during the session and post-workout during the recovery time.</li>
 	<li><img class="imagecache-full_width" title="" src="http://cdn2.omidoo.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full_width/images/bydate/jul_11_2012_-_1204pm/shutterstock_95001319.jpg" alt="muscle, skeletal muscle, good reasons for muscle, female muscle" /><strong>Skeletal muscle helps you live longer. </strong>A <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf" target="_blank">study from Tufts University</a>found the more muscle you have the better your chances of a longer life. More than either blood pressure or cholesterol, muscle was determined to be the top biomarker for longevity.<a href="http://ozhealthreviews.com/health-tips/7-reasons-why-you-need-to-build-more-muscle/" target="_blank"><sup>1</sup></a></li>
 	<li><strong>More skeletal muscle means more insulin receptor sites. </strong> More insulin receptors means it's easier for your body to minimize fat and stay lean.</li>
 	<li><strong>Skeletal muscle can improve your posture.</strong> Having the strength to hold good posture can help other things, as well - it can help with chronic pain due to sciatica and other back ailments.<a href="http://ozhealthreviews.com/health-tips/7-reasons-why-you-need-to-build-more-muscle/" target="_blank"><sup>2</sup></a></li>
 	<li><strong>Skeletal muscle makes everyday activities easier. </strong>Becoming stronger and building muscle gives you a fighting chance each day when you must lift, bend, and stretch. Also, you’re better able to fight fatigue with more stamina.</li>
 	<li><strong>Combat sarcopenia by strength training.</strong> Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle tissue. The harsh reality is we lose muscle mass as we age, up to 50% between the ages of 20 and 90. Additionally, <a href="http://360menopause.com/articles/menopause_support%20_muscle_mass.php" target="_blank">menopausal women </a>between the ages 40 and 50 will lose 1% of their muscle mass each year, and replace the lost muscle with fat. Not a desirable option.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

<strong>There are way too many health problems associated with an over-abundance of body fat. I can’t think of any when you have more skeletal muscle. </strong>The message, loud and clear: don’t be afraid to build skeletal muscle. Include strength training in your training program or workout regimen. And remember to work as hard as you can to stimulate those muscles to grow.

&nbsp;

</section></section>