A number of women who are trying to balance career, family and some semblance of a normal life have a similar question for me: if I have to choose one thing to do to be healthier, what should it be?
Well, harkening back to my days as a consultant, I would say “it depends.” It depends on what you are trying to accomplish and what you consider to be success.
Woman’s Fitness magazine had an excellent article about how different methods, cardio or strength training, face off against each other. Here are the abbreviated results:
Getting rid of excess weight
Winner: Strength training. Cardio burns more per hour, but strength training keeps your metabolism elevated longer. In addition, each pound of muscle you add can burn up to 60 more calories per day whether you exercise or not.
Dealing with stress
Winner: Cardio. Think of runners high and the endorphins endurance activity produces.
Looking good naked (for lack of a better description)
Winner: Strength. You are permanently altering body shape. Enough said.
Injury prevention
Winner: Strength. Repetitive motions like running and cycling without strength training can lead to injury. Strength training helps the connective tissues deal with the pounding.
Living forever
Winner: Cardio. That heart muscle, and the systems connected to it, is pretty important.
Beating your personal best
Winner: It depends. Only you truly know what personal best you are trying to eclipse. Your training should be very specific to attaining that goal.
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