There are a number of internal and external pressures on women to transform their bodies into an ideal image. There 
are supplements and special diet programs that offer various advice for women to shape themselves into what they want to be. Truthfully, the best way to achieve a desired body is through healthy diet and exercise.
What does it mean to burn fat and build muscle?
Fat burning and lean muscle building go hand in hand with each other. While someone can lose weight and not build lean muscle, they cannot build lean muscle without burning fat. Lean muscles are voluntary in movement, meaning they are controlled consciously most of the time. That means in order for them to build they have to be worked. When lean muscle builds it becomes an active fat burner so long as it is maintained.
In the first stages of muscle building, weight stays fairly stable. This doesn’t mean there is no weight loss. In fact, if muscle is building through exercise and weight remains stable it is a sign that the body is burning off fat while building muscle, a healthy and desirable result.
In 2007 researchers discovered that it is indeed possible to think yourself lean. The study showed that people who pictured themselves lifting weights gained up to 4% body strength without lifting a dumbbell, while those who committed themselves to regular strength training gained up to 5%, and a control group who did nothing lost 0.2%. This doesn’t mean ignoring all other pathways to a healthy life. It is still important to eat healthy and remain active, but it does leave one with a certain level of optimism.
How to prepare for muscle building and fat burning?
Fitness and Nutrition expert Jill Coleman dedicated years of her life to pursuing knowledge and experience that would help others find a path to better lives. She offers tips to muscle building for women in 8 steps.
- Weight train at least three times a week. In order to gain muscle and burn fat the body needs consistency so training at least three times a week keeps it in the routine and improves chances of success.
- Train with heavy weights. The only way to be certain that muscles are training and building properly is by feeling a response. Doing some heavy lifting forces them into action. After a week or two the pain will subside.
- Train to failure. Someone dedicated to the task of building muscle and burning fat has to train until the body refuses. That doesn’t mean spending hours at the gym until collapse, but lift in sets until the muscles refuse to lift, then move on.
- Eat protein. This step is broken into three by her, but the idea is to eat protein before working out to create energy for the workout, then eat after the workout whether weight training or doing cardio to replace lost energy and give the body what it needs to repair muscle.
- Eat starchy carbs. In the post-workout meal ingesting carbs gives body fuel and prevents fat storage.
- Get 8 hours of sleep. During the sleep cycle the body burns fat, so getting a healthy 8 hours gives the body a chance to burn at optimal levels.
Once women reach their ideal weight and good muscle mass, they can shape their bodies through toning workouts. All of this is a long process and a woman cannot get the body she wants overnight like some of the pill bottles and diet programs promise. It takes time to properly burn the fat away and tone the body, and a firm commitment to the task.
