The Answer: Cardio Before Or After Weights? … Plus More Randomness
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It’s a legitimate question that I have heard dozens of times. It’s a question that has caused many trainers to argue their point of views. And it’s an a question that we finally have a definitive answer for.
Last week’s podcast Dan and I highlighted some of the major nutrition and fitness news/studies and we’ve decided to continue on with that theme today.
Boy do we have some good stuff to share. Stuff that I can’t wait to get your opinion on! Stuff that hopefully helps you look at your own life and delivers ideas that you can implement or even change to improve your current state.
—> Does it matter what order you exercise in?
—> The downfall of having a larger waist
—> This sugar may help you lose weight and control blood sugar
—> Does water actually help you lose weight?
Below the podcast you can find a recap of all the stories covered, but it’s impossible for me to recap every point we make, so definitely listen in to the show when you can.
It’s fun to have the chance to record What The Fitness with Dan and I hope that you enjoy listening!
What The Fitness: Belly Fat, Sugar, And Fit Reports
Large Waist Linked To Poor Health, Even Among Those In A Healthy Body Mass Index Range
“Men and women with large waist circumferences were more likely to die younger, and were more likely to die from illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer after accounting for body mass index, smoking, alcohol use and physical activity.”
This study, published by the Mayo Clinic discovered that no matter your BMI, the size of your waist matters. Here’s what the researchers found:
Women with a waist circumference of 37 in. or greater had about an 80% higher mortality risk than women with a waist circumference of less than 27 in. This translated to about a 5-year lower life expectancy after age 40.
So how can you improve your waistline? By changing what you eat. Nutrition is the #1 factor with weight. Creating healthy nutritional habits now can help you to lead a long and happy life free of diabetes, cancers, heart disease and more. Of course paired with a healthy workout regiment and you’ll be in even better shape.
Here are a few golden nuggets I’ve written over the years to help morph your eating:
- 5 Ways To Transform Desserts
- Why I Can’t Stop Eating: Simple Tips To Control Your Appetite
- Help! I’m Hungry All The Time
Performing Cardio, Resistance Training During Same Session: Does Order Matter?
Ask a trainer this question and they will be quick with a response and an argument.
But this study shows it doesn’t matter! Over a 24 week study, participants saw the same results no matter if they did cardio and then lifted weights or if they lifted weights and then cardio.
While at the end, there were no differences, at the beginning it took the body to warm up to the idea of cardio workouts followed by anaerobic weight training. The recovery was longer and the gains started off slower. But the body adapted, like the body often does to allow progress to happen.
So here’s what I say… do what feels best. If you’re a runner or working on speed then you will likely feel better crossing off your run first. If you’re fitness goal is to increase strength then go with lifting first. Either way, you’ll improve!
Debunking Water Myths: Weight Loss, Calorie Burn & More
Beth Kitchin puts to rest the idea that drinking water helps to increase your metabolism and therefore lead to weight loss. She also clears up the old idea that drinking cold water burns more calories because the body has to warm it up.
I’ve heard it before, and I am sure you have too!
Here’s what she found… while water does help to burn calories, it’s not a significant amount. Like, at all. And the same is true for ice water.
Too bad.
But I do want to mention that while water itself doesn’t burn off calories, it can help you to feel full and leads to a decrease in overall calorie consumption if a glass is consumed right before a meal. Dr. Kitchin didn’t cover this but I think it’s a very important tool for anyone aiming to lose weight.
Just as important… make sure to drink a glass of water when you feel hunger. It might just be your body telling you that you’re thirsty. NOT HUNGRY!
Ways To Get More Water
- Make it special by drinking sparkling water. But think that using a Soda Stream to carbonate water will safe money and is a great idea? You might want to think again.
- Use a water bottle you like. And then keep it beside you every where you go! I just purchased my first glass bottle and love it!
- Drink water you like. For us, that means using a Brita Filter. Knowing that the water is clean and chilled from the fridge has us coming back for more!
Sugars Found In Tequila May Protect Against Obesity
“According to researchers from Mexico, natural sugars derived from the agave plant, called agavins, greatly protected a group of mice against diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes, MedPage Today reported.”
Agave also happens to be the plant that is responsible for tequila <– FYI.
But back to the agavins, these are lightly sweetened sugars that are composed of long chains of fructose and act as dietary fiber that are unable to be broken down. Agavin does not affect blood sugar levels and has shown to cause an affect on the hormones to slow down the emptying of the stomach. Which in affect can lead to eating less and taking in less calories.
Pretty interesting stuff! And no, they aren’t anything agave nectar which has a high glycemic index and the opposite affect on blood sugar levels and appetite.
Agavins have been compared to stevia, which I am a huge fan of. Stevia is actually an herb which like agavins does not affect blood sugar. Stevia however is much sweeter (which is why I love it). Mark’s Daily Apple did a great write up on this special herb that I definitely recommend reading.
And to finish off the podcast, we introduced an amazing new book that has found it’s way to our bookshelf Kindle:
While the book’s cover says it may be for athletes and coaches, anyone can benefit from the knowledge within.
One of the main points that we stress is the important of Point B goals that are specific and used to get the your Point Z goal, your ultimate DREAM goal. By doing that it takes stress away from the big picture goal and allows you to focus on something that seems much more manageable and present. Z might seem impossible now, but by working on your smaller goal and accomplishing it, you end up one step closer!
And the last BIG take away (which I LOVE) is strength. Let’s take the focus off losing weight through running and cutting calories and turn our focus on to improving strength. By doing so, we end up with a much more balanced lifestyle and one set up for future success. Cutting calories and running like a hamster puts us at constant risks of weight gain. We’re always at war with our metabolism. Stop the war, and get “Body Peace” by strength training which naturally boosts the metabolism!
What have you heard interesting this week?