Have you ever wondered how long and how intensely you would have to athletically train to turn all that loose body fat into toned muscle? When you stop training, how long will it take before the muscle turns back into fat? It is essential to clarify that it is a complete myth that you can turn fat into muscle with training.

Body fat and muscle are two completely different tissues. They have different structures and functions, they react to training in different ways and, simply put, one does not have the capability to turn into the other.

Body fat is completely related to calories, and the amount that we have is directly influenced by the number of calories consumed versus calories expended. Calories consumed obviously come from the foods we eat. It is important to recognize that when we consume any type of food in excess, whether it is carbohydrates, protein or dietary fat, it will be converted to body fat.

Muscle is very different from fat. Each muscle is made up of thousands of individual cells, also called muscle fibers. While the number of a muscle's cells/fibers can not increase, each individual muscle fiber has the potential to increase in size, density and efficiency. These changes may occur together but not necessarily to the same degree, however, all will translate to an increase in strength.

This is important because one of the key problems with the so-called "yo-yo diet" is that people lose weight rapidly from muscle and fat stores by following a strict or crash diet. When they return to more normal eating habits, weight is re-gained, but it is always fat gain and never muscle.

This often means that while they can be back to their pre-diet weight, it's all fat, which is unhealthier than the original starting point.

Quick Summary of Fat

Fat can not become muscle and muscle can not become fat. Fat can only be reduced if the number of calories expended in a day exceeds the number of calories consumed in a day. Fat will be gained if the opposite occurs.

If you stop training, and compensate for this with a slight reduction in diet, your body fat will not increase. If you begin training but also increase your dietary intake, you can gain fat. Fat cells act as one, meaning you can not choose where you lose it or gain it.

Quick Summary of Muscle

Changes in muscle size, density and/or efficiency cause an increase in strength; however, these changes only result if the muscle is stimulated beyond what it is accustomed to. Weight training is the easiest way to control and monitor the changes in your muscle physiology.

Because of this, it is possible to increase your strength without adding bulk, and it is also possible to increase both. When you stop stimulating the muscle, your muscle composition may return to normal or, depending on your regular routine, it may simply stay as is.

Unlike fat, each muscle can be specifically targeted, so you can choose the specific area you would like to improve. With that said, realize that while you can work your abdominal muscles, for example, you may not see the enhanced shape and form if you have a thick layer of fat covering them up.

Over-exercising is not the answer though, particularly if you are not used to physical activity. The best way to approach your weight loss is to change the way you eat, so that you are beginning to lose weight at safe levels. Your goal for a successful diet is to make sure that you are eating the right foods for your body.

Controlling what you eat, along with moderate physical activity will help you to see how you can make your eating habits, weight loss and weight maintenance a positive part of your life.

The Importance of Water to Your Body

Since we are mostly made up of water, true health cannot occur without proper hydration of the body. We need to drink a minimum of half our body weight, in ounces, of water each day. (For example, if you weigh 200 lbs, you should consume 100 ounces of water.)

Every organ in the body heavily depends on water to function properly and to its capacity. Did you know that the human body is 60-75 percent water? The brain is 85% water, bones are 35 percent water, blood is 83 percent water and the liver is 90 percent water?

Water serves as the body's transportation system which therefore is used to energize every cell and organ in the body. It is crucial to every bodily operation and when we become dehydrated, the body instinctively begins to ration water to each organ. The brain, being the most important organ, gets the most water.

The skin, being the least important, is rationed the least amount of water. Chronically dry skin and/or dandruff are signs of advanced bodily dehydration, as are asthma and hyperventilation.

The body will do what it has to do to survive, which in this case means the most important organs get served first. If the body didn't do that we would suffer the ill effects of dehydration much more rapidly.

Check out these statistics: seventy-five percent of Americans are dehydrated. One glass of water deters hunger pangs for ninety-eight percent of dieters. Even mild dehydration can slow down someones metabolism by three percent. The biggest trigger of daytime fatigue is lack of water. Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by forty-five percent, breast cancer by fifty percent.

So what does staying hydrated mean when it comes to losing weight? Well, since you body is loaded with toxins, it is a must that you get these toxins out of your body immediately. By taking in enough water each day you allow your body to flush out these toxins which in turn will increase your energy levels, eliminate depression and anxiety and best of all help you lose weight.

Here is a helpfful tip to keep energy levels and metabolism up. Drink a glass of water immediately upon rising in the morning. This will start the your body's metabolism and cleansing process.