If you are trying to lose weight or just wanting to maintain your body weight as you age, increasing your metabolic rate (the amount of energy expended per day) is the key to sustainable weight loss. There are many ways to give your metabolism a boost – including exercising at the right intensity, eating right, and putting on more muscle.
This includes aerobic workouts to burn more calories in the short term, and weight training to build the muscles that will boost your metabolism in the long run.
Strength training with weights or other forms of resistance,(like bands) will increase muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat; therefore the more lean body mass you have the higher your metabolism will be. Incorporating a sound weight training plan to your routine will significantly speed up the weight loss process. Since muscle burns more calories than fat — even while at rest — the more muscles you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate, which means the more calories your body will be burning just to sustain you
Every pound of muscle in our bodies burns 7-10 calories a day, while each pound of fat burns just 2 calories per day. While 30 minutes of aerobic exercise may burn more calories than 30 minutes of weight training. In the hours following the cessation of exercise, the weight training has a longer-lasting effect on boosting metabolism.
Having extra muscle also means you can eat more and gain less. Some women fear they’ll “bulk up” with weight training. But women don’t have the hormones necessary to develop those huge muscles, so you can feel good about doing weight training.
Your best bet for keeping metabolism revved: Build muscles, snack on low-calorie, high-protein foods, and keep moving!