Hi Izabela

Most women think their muscles have one job.

To burn calories (so that we can lose weight, of course)

Science says otherwise.

Today, researchers consider skeletal muscle one of the body's largest endocrine organs.

That means every time your muscles contract...

...they release hundreds of tiny messenger proteins called myokines into your bloodstream.

I like to think of them as little emails your muscles send to the rest of your body.

Some tell your liver to improve blood sugar control.

Some tell your fat cells to become more metabolically active.

Others travel to your brain and help improve focus, memory, mood and resilience to stress.

Researchers even discovered that exercise changes how your muscles process stress-related molecules, helping protect the brain from chronic stress. 

Scientists who discovered them (in Sweden!) have nicknamed these "hope molecules."

Think about that for a second.

Your muscles aren't just helping you look stronger, or fitter, or "smaller"