Q: I have been lifting weights religiously now for eight months and enjoying it immensely. However, in the back of my mind, my fear is that if I stop lifting, either because of an injury or because I want to take a break, my muscles will all turn to fat. How can I prevent that from happening? - N.G., Nashville, TN

A: Muscles won't turn to fat, and, while we're on the subject, fat can't turn to muscle either. Fat and muscle are two separate entities. Body fat is a layer of fat cells that covers your muscles. Whenever you exercise, you increase the size of your muscles. When you consume fewer calories than you expend during your workouts, you reduce the size of your body fat layer. If you stop exercising or you're injured and can't exercise as much as before, your muscles may lose their tone, but they do not turn to fat. Unexercised muscle tissue actually shrinks in size. By the same token, when you consume too many calories, your fat layer becomes fatter.

Need to take a mini-break from your exercise program? Since you won't be burning off as many calories, be sure to reduce your meal portions. If you don't, you may well put on a few extra pounds of fat.

Source: fitlinxx.com