STRENGTH AND COMPOSITION
I feel a shift in my body. For me, the easiest and most effective form of exercise is strength training. After only a handful of workouts I'm seeing and feeling small changes in the foundation of my body. There is visible curve on both my biceps and triceps. Also my waist is tightening. Unfortunately my fatty layer does nothing to showcase these positive changes. Fat is a substance that is light and takes up lots of real-estate. Muscle on the other hand is dense, heavy and smooth. Also, muscle is active. Muscle eats fat. It's a vascular tissue; the driving force behind your metabolism. Muscle is an active tissue that is constantly renewing itself therefore requiring energy (calories). The primary source of energy for muscle is fat.
While building muscle is helping decrease my fatty layers, I'm also looking to cardio to speed up the process. I mean, saying should I do cardio or weight training is sort of like saying should I drink water or breathe? I view cardio as an opportunity to have a huge impact in the state of my over all health. It relieves stress, while lowering my chance of getting diabetes (which is in my family.) Also, I'm on medication for asthma. While exercise won't cure asthma, it certainly helps lung function.
Any worthwhile fitness and life-style program needs to address the concept of body composition. In physical fitness, body composition is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone and muscle in human bodies. Because muscular tissue takes up less space in our body than fat tissue, our body composition, as well as our weight, determines leanness. Two people at the same height and same body weight may look completely different from each other because they have a different body composition. They also might wear totally different sizes of clothing.
Fitness and health don't just serve vanity. A fit lean body helps an individual live both longer and better. By better I mean better to express their soul. There is a basic boost in confidence that comes from being in shape. A person feeling that boost in confidence is often more likely to express their opinions, and stand up for their beliefs.
