You have gone through hours at the gym, working out your biceps, your lats, your quads, and all of your favorite muscle groups. You have carefully watched your diet, painstakingly choosing what you eat and what you don’t eat. Now, your efforts have given you the result that you have always wanted: a body you are proud of, a body you are comfortable in, and a body that you enjoy.
Unfortunately, getting the body you have always wanted is only half of the battle. The problem you have to face now is how to keep and maintain the muscle mass that you had worked so hard to achieve. Maintaining your hard earned muscle mass is just as important as, and usually even more difficult to do than to build it up. However, here are some great suggestions to help you keep yourself in the great shape you are already in.
1. CONTINUE TO WORK OUT. Remember, your body is a continuously changing thing. It is not made of steel, marble, or wood that will naturally keep its shape once you have finished sculpting it. Every time you eat, drink, sleep, work, or play, your body will keep on adjusting itself and changing itself. So, if you stop your work out, your body will again change from the form you molded it into, to whatever shape your new daily habits would dictate. It could slide back to your old form, or worse, it could degenerate to a state that is even more deficient than the one you started out with. In case boredom sets in, you can do some extra things to motivate yourself. Remember, you do not have to do the exact same work out routines everyday. The important thing is that you have to continue to work out. You can change your routine up a bit to make it more exciting. Actually, you should change it up. Giving your muscles new challenges and different kinds of stimulation will keep your muscles in a dynamic mode and keep them from losing their mass.
2. KEEP YOUR BODY PROPERLY HYDRATED AND WELL FED. Do not skip your meals and do not let yourself be dehydrated. Your body regularly needs energy, so it has to have a regular source of energy. If you skip meals and don’t eat on a more or less regular schedule, your body will not know if it is going to be fed or not so it will start to slow down its metabolism. This will also prompt it to start to break down whatever resource it finds, mainly your muscles, and start storing fat.
3. EAT YOUR FISH AND VEGETABLES. Fish is a very good source of protein, and protein is very important in maintaining your muscle mass. Having a good amount of protein in your diet leads your body to burn more fat for energy and not break down your muscle mass. Vegetables, on the other hand, are a very good source of fiber. Fiber is not easily digested by the body, thus it requires a lot more energy from your body to handle it. There are also studies that suggest vegetables decrease muscle loss.
