by katie veltri kjvelch@aol.com
I promised you a look into the fitness world, so today I’m going to tackle the battle between weight-training and aerobic exercise. I see it all the time. People who hit the gym and think, “Well, I’ll go on the elliptical machine for thirty minutes, and that should be good.” While the elliptical machine is a fine source for toning the legs and getting a semi-cardiovascular workout, it doesn’t quite do it for the whole body, or mind for that matter. It’s important to get into a pattern of exercise that has variety or at least some color, because most of people’s workday is sedentary nowadays.
Make your routine not so routine, and have fun with it. Usually, there are classes offered in most fitness centers, such as the ones I mentioned last week, which include kickboxing, Pilates, sculpting, step, dance, and cycle. At some gyms, where there’s a pool, there’s even aqua classes. This is hilarious to witness because these swim sessions give new meaning to the term “low impact.” It’s slightly reminiscent of the movie, Cocoon.
Anyway, if you’re looking to achieve a balance with your workout, look no further than classes such as kickboxing, step, and sculpting, which integrate both strength training and cardio by using weights, medicine balls, and/or the step. These types of workouts are great if you’re looking to add tone and muscle.
The common misconception is that adding muscle will make you look heavier, but in truth, building a more muscular physique actually provokes body fat to burn faster.
“A little known fact is that weight-training ultimately burns far more calories than aerobic training for the same amount of effort over time. Here’s how it works: when someone does an aerobic workout, they typically will burn between 200-400 calories per workout. When a strength-training workout is done, 200-400 calories are burned as well. Both forms of exercise burn roughly the same amount of calories per workout. However, the difference occurs during rest. After a strength-training session, the body continues to burn calories, however, the body does not after an aerobic session. This is due to an increase in muscle mass, which, in turn, increases the basal metabolic rate,” according to Gregg Hoffman, a top trainer in the country and the President/Founder of Bodies by Hoffman.
Unlike strength-training, though, aerobic exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which help fight depression and reduce stress.
“When you cycle, swim, run, or carry out any other form of strenuous endurance exercise, your pituitary gland releases substantial quantities of endorphins, chemicals which can block sensations of pain and produce overall feelings of euphoria. Endorphins are known to attach to receptors on the outer surfaces of brain cells, acting like chemical keys that fit into locks. If enough endorphin is inserted into the outer ‘keyhole’ of a nerve cell, that cell is unlikely to convey pain messages to the conscious part of the brain,” states an article by the Journal of Sport Sciences.
The article also talks about how weight trainers don’t get this “high” feeling because they don’t maintain long periods of endurance. The best advice I can give as far as the battle between weight-training and aerobic, is to combine weight-training and some form of medium-high intensity cardio exercise three to four times each week. You can do two days weight-training and two days cardio. There are endless options on how you can work it out! You can do this home, even, by buying a couple sets of weights and DVDs, or simply go jogging outside. The beauty is that you can get creative with it and enjoy working out as an outlet before or after work.
Just exercising three times a week alone won’t give you the physique or state of mind you’re searching for, though. Diet is everything. Trust me, I know from experience that exercise exclusively won’t make you feel like you’re perpetually glowing. Eating whole fresh foods (think the color wheel) is a very large component of feeling nourished and healthy. You don’t have to cut out sugars or fats completely, just moderate.
Experts used to say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and now they say it about dark chocolate. In moderate amounts, dark chocolate has anti-oxidants that boost your immune system. According to Daniel J. DeNoon’s research, dark chocolate, which contains more cocoa than other forms of chocolate, is rich in flavoniods, which are good for the heart because they help better blood flow in the arteries.
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