Have you ever thought… ‘I work out SO much, why do I not look like it!?’ You and me both girl… you and me both! I had these thoughts A LOT in my life and have been extremely frustrated! UNTIL I learned WHY I was not toned, and it was so extremely obvious that I about kicked myself because of my ignorance.
Lets first do a little science lesson…
Muscles NEED calories and nutrients to grow. Specifically amino acids (the building blocks of protein), glycogen (carbohydrates), water, and vitamins/minerals. If we are under fueling our body (aka living in large calorie deficits) our body is not receiving enough of these nutrients to keep itself in an “anabolic state” (muscle growth). It is living in what we call a catabolic state which means constantly breaking down muscle mass.
Let's simplify this a little bit...
If you are not feeding yourself enough, your body is going to prioritize basic body functions OVER fat loss and muscle growth. NEWS FLASH! Bodily functions such as having your period, digestion, etc. is WAY more important to your body than whether it has muscle and less fat.
Muscle is very “metabolically expensive” and our bodies don’t like to “save” it when it is just trying to survive.
If you want to keep your muscle as you grow older (which I would HIGHLY recommend making a priority) or grow your muscles to get more toned, then you have to consistently commit to tearing down the muscle tissue through resistance training and rebuild it with adequate nutrition and rest.
So where do you start with accomplishing all this?
I highly recommend checking out my Gray30 course where I teach you how to properly nourish your body and build the foundation to success with transforming your meals, metabolism, and mindset to help you reach your body composition goals!
Have any questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
-Emily