Does Eating After a Workout Really Help You Burn More Calories?

Funny, today while I was shoveling down cottage cheese after my 3-mile run I looked down at an issue of Consumers Reports on Health sitting on our table and saw this headline:  If I eat immediately after exercising, will I burn off more of the meal than I normally would?

How timely!

Here’s the response:

“Maybe. Physical activity of any kind speeds up your metabolism for several hours after a workout, depending on its intensity and duration. So your body is still burning calories at a faster rate during that time if you hadn’t exercised at all, a phenomenon that fitness aficionados call “afterburn.” But the best way to boost the rate at which your body burns calories all the time–not just after exercise–is through strength training, which increases your body’s ratio of muscle to fat. Aim for two sessions a week that work each of the major muscle groups, and use a resistance that allows you to do no more than 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise (or 10 to 15 reps for beginners or people with very little muscle).”

I was pleased as punch after reading the response. It just put the seal of approval on my favorite workout program: P90X. Of course, I really didn’t need a little magazine blurb to tell me that P90X works! It’s pretty obvious by the changes I’m seeing and feeling that whatever I’m doing is having a positive affect on my body. But, it was just kinda nice to see it in black and white, written by a nonprofit publisher that doesn’t accept advertisements of any kind.

The key part of the whole thing is this one sentence: The best way to boost the rate at which your body burns calories all the time–not just after exercise–is through strength training.

Amen! To sum it up, you need to BUILD MUSCLES if you want to lose weight and look good! Cardio helps for sure, but we all reach a point when cardio isn’t enough. I don’t know about you, but until 5 months ago I was pretty clueless about strength training. We all know how to step on the treadmill, but weights? Resistance bands? What are we supposed to do with those??

I know I’m pretty biased, but P90X is the best and easiest way to bring strength training into your life. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. And women, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS. Our bodies don’t produce enough testosterone to get big and bulky. Look at some of the women from the P90X test group. Look at me. Do we look big and bulky to you?

If you decide to purchase P90X through my affiliate link, you’ll automatically receive me as your personal coach! There’s nothing I’d like better than to help you achieve your fitness goals!