I am continually amazed at my lack of motivation to work out even though the thought of weighing 15 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight bugs the heck out me. Long gone are the days when an active metabolism alone staved off the unwanted poundage. Now, it seems the inevitable has occurred, my metabolism has slowed down. And so it is, I must not only watch what I eat but also exercise on a regular basis.

Though I walk three days a week, it’s not enough to get my body back on track. According Bob Greene’s book The Best Life Diet, muscle plays a vital role in your ability to lose weight. Because muscle is a high-maintenance tissue - meaning that your body must burn quite a few calories to keep it in good working order - it’s to your benefit to retain and even gain muscle tissue. Muscles keep the rate at which you burn calories (metabolism) running at a significant level; therefore, you should avoid severely cutting calories because it leads to a loss of lean muscle and you definitely don’t want that.

I not only want to look gorgeous at 60, but my 20th high school reunion will be rolling around next year and you know I must look good for that event. So I figure it’s time to get my act together by exercising more to build those muscles. And it won’t hurt to exercise in style; in fact, it just may even add an ounce of motivation.

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