A little bit of science and math...

 

Audrey is changing her body composition! 

I feel like I want to keep providing you with reasons to SHOW UP.  So here goes a short little knowledge drop that you might already know but need a reminder about. 

In the last week I have heard in different conversations, some were not with me, the expression "muscle weighs more than fat".  So I want to dive into this concept... I used to feed this line to myself when I wanted to justify being overweight (fit fat). October of 2022 I was strong, 71.2 pounds of my 174.4 weight was muscle. 47.4 pounds was fat, the rest is water bone and organ weight.  I was 27.2% body fat.  I could lift pretty heavy... for a 48 year old... I could do most of the things with the exception of muscle ups.  I could run as fast as my genetically slow body could move.  I push myself to get very uncomfortable.  Life was pretty darn good.  

Fast forward a little over 2 years, a f*ck ton of walking, logging my food, and limiting my "treats" to occasions instead of rituals.  A couple weeks ago, January 29th, I weighed in at 150.4, a VERY disappointing number for me to see (see earlier blogs to know why).  I kind of knew it was coming... steps were on the lighter side in January, food was looser (still logged), and calories in were closer to calories out... there is always a broad room for error here.  HOWEVER, muscle mass was up 2.7 pounds (69.7 pound) and fat mass was only up .2 (25.8 pounds) from the December lighter (144.8 pound) weigh in. My percent body fat was down .4 (17.2%)  All this to say, we need to CHANGE our priorities.  ME, Jess, the owner and wellness expert here still experiences the mind f*ck that comes with that one stupid number on the scale.  So if I do, I know there are a SHIT TON of you that do too.  

If I could implore you to do one thing, it would be to get a body composition scan. It will identify what we need to hone in on.  Our whole reason for switching to the Zone 2 concept of longer slower workouts is to BURN FAT.  

When we use the expression, muscle weighs more than fat, we are not owning up to the biggest part of that concept.  A pound, is a pound, is a pound.  A pound of fat is BIGGER than a pound of muscle.  So we are looking to both burn the fat down (use it for energy to feed our muscles in our longer workouts) AND build muscle to make us more capable and bad ass, look leaner, and the more of it we have the more it nom noms the fat.  

The concept is pretty simple... but this shit is HARD.  It requires discipline, self-love, and sacrifices.  This can't have an end date or an event that it culminates at... this is your life... this is your wellness and movement capacity as you age.  This will take TIME!!!! And it is NEVER ENDING.  Like all things, take it one day at a time.  Shoot for more good days than bad 55/45.  As that gets consistent, then shoot for 65/35, then 80/20, and if you are one of the few incredibly disciplined then maybe you can exist at 90/10.

All of this is a journey, for ALL of us. It is still an incredibly conscious effort to choose wisely.  Just like this style of training we have chosen, it doesn't get easier, but we get better at it and can push ourselves more in it.  

Stay the course.  Eat good food. Move your body (WALK). Drink water. And get your sleep.  The life you hope to lead as you age is there for the taking.  

Let's get it!