I wish I wrote this myself but can’t take the credit away from Elizabeth Goodman Artis who birthed this beautiful article that explains exactly why having muscle is THE BEST.

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Muscles

How your muscles can keep you healthy, happy, and disease freeFull disclosure: As the executive editor of Muscle & Fitness Hers, I’m vehemently pro muscle. It keeps your metabolism revved, takes up less space than fat, protects your joints, and allows you to lift heavy objects without the help of a guy.

Full disclosure number two: I almost never weight train. Like most women, I typically choose cardio (my go-to workout is Bikram yoga) over strength training, not because I’m afraid of bulking up, but I’m a sweat addict and hate figuring out the correct weights, reps, muscle groups to target, and so on. But I should. I really really should, for the reasons listed above, as well as the surprising muscle-related facts that follow.

1. Muscle is like scaffolding for your entire body: Without muscle, your bones, joints, and ligaments are considerably more vulnerable to age-related decline and injury, according to Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, an orthopedic and spinal surgeon based in New York City. Building core strength in particular protects your spine, which is key to a healthy musculoskeletal system. In fact, a healthy, straight spine is pretty much the definition of youth and anti-aging, Dr. Hansraj says.

2. Muscle equals fewer marshmallows: Did I lose you at marshmallows? Stay with me. Muscle is much denser than fat. So if, for example, one pound of muscle is about the size of an apple, one pound of fat is the equivalent size-wise of a pound of marshmallows, according to Dr. Hansraj.

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