Exercise Muscle and Fat

So if you stop exercising does muscle turn into fat? Understand that muscle and fat are two entirely different tissues and one cannot become the other. What does happen when you stop exercising is that the caloric intake of food that is not needed to sustain the current demand for energy is stored in the fat cells. Muscles that are not worked regularly, will begin to atrophy or decrease in size, requiring less calories to maintain them.

Your goal is to maintain a higher ratio of muscle to fat. To do this, you need regular activity or exercise that is consistent and has an intensity to maintain the muscle mass. To increase intensity, increase the work load, the number of repetitions or the speed of the movement. You can also try some new type of activity. Most important is to find an activity or exercise that you enjoy, or you will not stay motivated to do it.

From a diet perspective, eat more fruits and vegetables. These are ususally the lacking components in most diets. Remember to get some protein with every meal, but really increase fruits and vegetables.