Question:
Besides the obvious, how they look, what else do muscles do? In this way I can understand the advantages of weight-training and why I need to increase the amount of muscles on my body and cut down on my obsessive cardio. Thank you for your help! (Jeanine, Westhampton)Answer
ANSWER:
Muscles do make you look great by changing your body composition, but they also allow you to do some important things that all of us sometimes take for granted:
- Standing upright, especially with good posture: The force of gravity is powerful and our contracting muscles oppose the force of gravity.
- Movement: From walking, bending, blinking to even smiling.
- Digestion and Elimination: Muscle tone helps absorb nutrients and rid the body of toxins.
- Blood Flow: Moving blood throughout the body to absorb oxygen and nutrients and then eliminating carbon dioxide and waste.
- Skeletal Frame: Muscles hold together the bone structure. Ligaments, tendons and the ends of muscles wrap around the joints – the ties that bind.
- Muscles influence maintaining normal body temperature. We shiver to reestablish body temperature.
Because muscles are essential for activities of daily living and good health, why not build them to be as strong and as efficient as possible? And of course, keep them that way! Keep everything in balance: cardio, weight training and nutrition. Too much cardio and you will actually burn those muscles away and erode your joints with high impact. Exercise control over your life!
Listen to Frank Mikulka’s Weekly Fitness Tips every week on Debbie Mandel’s Turn On Your Inner Light Show every Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 7:30 pm on WGBB 1240AM. Also available on www.turnonyourinnerlight.com/page3.html
