The Age Old Question Answered...

The Question: Does Muscle Turn to Fat When You Stop Working Out

The Facts: As summer heats up and Americans flock to the shores to bear their beach muscles, those of us whose gym memberships collected dust last winter or expired months ago may be left with physiques that went from firm to flabby.

So did all those muscles simply melt to fat from more time on the couch and less at the sports club?

That might be the popular explanation, experts say, but it's not exactly true. When people stop exercising and shift into couch potato mode, their muscles begin to shrink, clearing the way for adipose tissue, or fat, to slowly replace them. At the same time, many people who stop exercising often continue to consume the same amount of calories they took in during their more active days, despite the fact that their energy expenditure is no longer nearly what it once was.

All of this can create the illusion that a lean six-pack and bulging set of biceps turned to fat, said Dr. Gerard P. Varlotta, an associate professor of rehabilitation medicine at New york University, but muscle and fat are two distinct tissues that never convert to the other.

"What happens is that the ratio of fat to muscle has changed," he said. "If you have atrophy of the muscle, then other tissue can move in and take its place."

The Bottom Line: Muscles might shrink when you stop working out, but they never turn to fat.

from NY Times 7/26/06

Beating the Side Stitch

3 Ways to Beat a Side Cramp Fast

You're in the midst of a calorie-torching workout when--bam!--a pinch in your side stops you mid-stride. Three experts share their tried-and-true remedies to make the pain go away.

1.Stretch. "Reach your arms overhead for 20 seconds," says Thomas J. Rice, M.D., medical director of the Pritkin Longevity Center in Aventura, Florida. "Keeping arms raised, lean toward the side that's not cramping, and hold for 20 seconds." Repeat until you feel relief.

2. Add Salt. "Sprinkle a packet of salt on your tongue, than take a sip of water," says Felicia D. Stoler, R.D, a nutrition coordinator for New York Road Runners. Sodium helps muscles absorb water, which should alleviate cramping.

3. Breathe. "Decrease your pace and inhale through your mouth for six seconds," says Jonathan Urla, a Pilates and yoga instructor at Reebok Sports Club in New York. Repeat until cramp subsides. Exhaling slowly helps release tension in your diaphragm.

-Sara Bodnar from Shape Magazine, March 2007