| Often people will look at a thin person and think to | | | | per year and is replaced by nearly 2 pounds of fat |
| themselves; now that person is nice and lean. But is | | | | because as muscle which is metabolically active tissue |
| that really always the case? Does being thin have a | | | | is lost, metabolism slows down allowing for extra fat |
| direct relationship with being lean? In order to answer | | | | storage. This translates to up to 10 to 15 pounds of lost |
| these questions we must examine what it means to | | | | muscle and up to 20 to 30 pounds of extra fat by age |
| be thin verses what it means to be lean. | | | | 40. So if a person does no form of resistance |
| Now you can define being thin as having a small | | | | training it is likely that by age 40 even though they |
| circumference size. This would be denoted by small | | | | appear thin they will have a higher percentage of |
| waist, arm, leg, and chest diameters as well as a low | | | | body-fat than meets the eye. |
| body weight all in relation to overall height. | | | | Resistance training is often omitted by people, even |
| The definition of being lean however is measured by | | | | those who do exercise for general health. Many |
| overall body composition. This would be denoted by a | | | | people will walk, jog, and bike for fitness but resistance |
| low percentage of body-fat verses percentage of | | | | training is just as important because aerobic exercise |
| lean mass (muscle and bone). You may be surprised | | | | will develop little to no muscle. Indeed resistance training |
| to know that thin people quite often are not lean at all. | | | | is a recommended activity for anyone looking to |
| In fact, many thin people have a much higher body-fat | | | | induce healthy living. |
| percentage than you might think! | | | | Nowadays even many cardiologists are prescribing |
| Now you may be thinking; how is that possible? Thin | | | | resistance training for their heart patients because |
| people don't look fat so how can they have much | | | | when the skeletal muscles and strengthened, the heart |
| body-fat? Consider this example: | | | | experiences less stress during normal daily activities |
| Two women at 40 years old are both 5' 7" tall and | | | | like grocery shopping or vacuuming the carpets. |
| both weigh 120 pounds. Women # 1 has a body-fat | | | | The American College of Sports Medicine |
| percentage of 25 and a waist size of 30. Woman # 2 | | | | recommends resistance training 2 to 3 times a week |
| on the other hand has a body-fat percentage of 16 | | | | for all apparently healthy people, especially adults. If |
| and a waist size of 27. Both look thin, but woman # 2 | | | | you need help putting together a resistance training |
| is clearly leaner. What could be the cause of this? | | | | program you can seek out the assistance of a |
| Why could both women be the same age, height, and | | | | qualified fitness trainer or even check out books on the |
| weight but one is so much leaner than the other? | | | | subject from your local library free of charge to get |
| Atrophy is the term used for the natural loss of muscle | | | | you on your way. |
| that begins to occur in people at around the age of 25 | | | | Remember that just because a person is thin does not |
| who are sedentary or do no resistance training or | | | | mean they are lean. While being overweight is a |
| strength training. By the time a person reaches their | | | | determining factor in accessing risks to your health, so |
| mid to late thirties a significant amount of muscle can | | | | is carrying higher percentages of body-fat so don't just |
| be lost if no resistance training is being done. | | | | aim to be thin, aim to be lean. |
| Once atrophy begins, 1/2 to 1 pound of muscle is lost | | | | |