Making Fitness News: Which Is Best Cardio Or Strength Training For Decreasing Your Waist?
By admin
Let’s talk fitness news today, shall we?
It’s been a long time since I highlighted big findings that can potentially really make a difference in our own life and training.
Yesterday as I was searching around the internet during lunch, I came on a three awesome new studies that I wanted to share. I was going to write an individual post on each one, but then thought it would be best to keep them in one place
After all, you guys asked for more research and I always want to deliver!
Which Is Better: Cardio Or Strength Training To Trim Your Waistline?
For the first, I was able to reach the head researcher, Dr. Rania Mekary of Harvard, to discuss her findings. Dr Mekary was so polite and open to a last minute podcast schedule. So thanks Rania, and I hope you guys enjoy it!
Basically, what Dr. Mekary and her team found was that people who focused more on strength training had a healthier waist circumfurance.
This isn’t to mean they weighed less but their overall body composition was better. Less body fat, more lean muscles and less risk of injuries later on in life.
The study, which lasted 12 years, studied 10,500 healthy men and their activity over the years.
What they found was that the men who increased their time strength training decreased their waistlines more than those that increased their workouts with cardio.
But the real winner?
Those that combined both cardio and strength training! <— To me that is the golden nugget.
A complete program designed around all the aspects of fitness that humans were meant to do. We were meant to move and pick up things. Not just one or the other.
So if you’ve only got time for one… lift. If you have the time and really want what’s best do both!
Lack Of Exercise Twice As Deadly As Obesity
As soon as I saw this article, I sent it over to Dan because I thought it was so interesting.
A European study of 334,000 men and women were analyzed and it was found that weight isn’t the #1 precursor to an early death… it’s inactivity.
Researchers found that by just adding 20 minutes, 20 MINUTES, of light activity, could reduce risk of dying an early death by 16-20%.
That’s huge. And shouldn’t be taken lightly.
We’re focusing on the wrong things to try and motivate people. Instead of pushing people to lose weight (which can be very daunting and depressing) the health care system should simply encourage them to move more. And because there is often a waterfall affect, that movement will lead to natural weight loss.
And then what about the people that are naturally thin yet sedentary? Those people are never pushed by doctors to move more yet are at doing their bodies a disservice and overall harm for the future.
Bottomline… everyone needs to move more on a daily basis. Forget weight and instead focus on lifestyle!
Sitting For Long Periods Increases Risk Of Death
It’s never fun to type the word death but I found this article so appropriate because Dan and I have been talking a lot about our own bad habits.
Yes, I am a trainer and yes I love to workout. But when I’m not teaching classes or working out… I’m sitting at a computer. For hours every single day. Dan will agree that he’s slightly worst than I am. We sit too much and our bodies know it.
Tight muscles, bad posture, and a restlessness comes to me every day around 3pm. I have to move.
And now, a new study gives me the push to get off my tush more. Maybe even a standing desk is in my future.
The research found that even people who exercise regularly can be hit with issues of a sedentary life such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. It’s not enough to move for 30 minutes and sit for 10.
Makes sense to me! Dr. Alter, the head researcher suggests cutting back by 3-4 hours how long you’re sitting down. Is that possible?