Exercise is a key component to a healthy lifestyle. It gets the heart pumping and blood flowing. Many people exercise to tip the scales one way or another – some to lose weight, others to gain it.

No need to starve yourself to lose weight.  In fact, you will have more difficulty losing weight and keeping it off by not eating.  The reason is that your body will go into survival mode and actually store fat if there is a lack of food.  As well, your body will start turning muscle protein into the energy it needs to feed your brain, nervous system and red blood cells.  The best way to lose weight is to tone your body and build muscle. According to Nancy Bennett, M.S., R.D., "Muscle tissue burns 70% of the fat in your body; so losing muscle sacrifices your ability to burn body fat."