Are Your Abs Made in the Kitchen?

Is 90% of your weight loss done in the kitchen? These are two popular myths floating around the internet and in the media today.

There is SOME truth tho this…

you can lose weight, and you can lose it fast, by manipulating your diet. I recently interviewed two, semi-pro athletes about how they do that. But they told you, and so will I, that it’s not the healthiest way to go.

One of the many reasons you don’t want to lose weight from dieting alone is because of this little-known physiological phenomenon: Sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is the natural loss of muscle with age if we do nothing to stop it.

In the video above I read a few, eye-opening facts about sarcopenia from the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Journal. In case you’re reading and not watching, I’ll give you this overview-

Muscle is metabolizing tissue. When we lose it, we lose metabolism.

Much of what we associate with AGING is loss of muscle. It’s the loss of the ability to move and do things the way we used to. That comes from a loss of strength, power, and endurance. All of which comes from a loss of healthy, muscle tissue.

And – that extra weight that appears where you didn’t have it before? It’s largely due to loss of metabolism, due to loss of muscle.

So we need to build muscle and keep it, to keep our metabolism and stay young as long as possible. We can’t do that in the kitchen. (Of course, you might do some exercises in the kitchen. But, it won’t be the most effective workout.)

The good news is: You can keep muscle, and build more of it, with exercise.

We do this specifically by strength training.

And, it’s never too late. I’ve worked with people in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s who are stronger than they were in their 20’s and 30’s because they now have a good exercise program.

So, while diet is very important to weight loss, fitness and health, I can’t say it’s the most important thing.

If I absolutely had to pick a percentage, I’d say 50-50, because exercise is just as important. After reading this, would you agree?

And finally, abs aren’t built in the kitchen! You’ve got to have muscle in order for it to show when you’re wearing those summer clothes. And those muscles are created during your workouts.

I welcome your comments below!