The reason most New Year’s resolutions to get into better shape fail is because fitness plateaus and we get disheartened. The reason for this is that exercise makes us stronger, which makes it harder and harder to exercise to a point that will allow us to continue our path of weight loss. What causes it to be more difficult is that our resting metabolic rate decreases when our blood pools in the lower parts of our body when resting. In order to increase the RMR, we need to strengthen the soleus muscles in our calves to push blood better.
Key Takeaways:
- A dramatic example of the challenges of maintaining weight loss comes from a recent National Institutes of Health study.
- The researchers followed 14 contestants who had participated in the “World’s Biggest Loser” reality show. During the 30 weeks of the show, the contestants lost an average of over 125 pounds per person.
- Activating muscles deep in the leg that help keep blood and fluid moving through our bodies is essential to maintaining resting metabolic rate when we are sitting or standing quietly.
“Activating muscles deep in the leg that help keep blood and fluid moving through our bodies is essential to maintaining resting metabolic rate when we are sitting or standing quietly.”
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/16/health/resting-metabolic-rate-fitness-weight-partner/index.html