Strength Training vs. Cardio - what should I do?

jbruck1973
jbruck1973 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a weird situation with my body, and I'm looking for some feedback.

I have started working out more frequently, specifically to Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones. It's a complete pain to get through, but I can get through it - and I'm finding I can sleep better, I feel more 'balanced,' and, combined with healthier eating habits, I just feel BETTER. I'm trying to do this 3 to 4 times per week.

I haven't weighed myself because I was afraid of what I would see on the scale...until today. I hopped on the scale today and it says I weigh 197. YIKES!

Here's the thing: I KNOW that 197 is too much weight for my height (5'4"), and according to all the BMI calculators, I'm totally obese. At the same time, I wear a size 10 or 12, which certainly isn't IDEAL, but I don't it's entirely out of line either (maybe I'm wrong).

So, my question is basically should I continue onwards with strength training exclusively like I have been? I'm 40 and I know how important strength training is at my age to boost metabolism, and I like how it continues burning calories even after I'm done working out. I'm NOT a big fan of cardio at all, but I'm kind of wondering if I should work toward adding some cardio in to my workout to get the weight issue under control. (FYI - NMTZ really FEELS like a cardio workout due to how high my heart rate gets throughout the workout, which is about 40 minutes).

Thanks!

Replies

  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Ideally, you should be doing both strength and cardio. However, what's going to get the weight off is eating less than your body needs. I use exercise for health (which means cardio is VERY useful for your heart, and strength for your bones), and, and this is more important for me at this point, being able to eat more. I don't lose more weight due to my exercise because I eat my calories back. But, I'm able to eat more and that makes this far more doable over the long haul.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    Ideally, you should be doing both strength and cardio. However, what's going to get the weight off is eating less than your body needs. I use exercise for health (which means cardio is VERY useful for your heart, and strength for your bones), and, and this is more important for me at this point, being able to eat more. I don't lose more weight due to my exercise because I eat my calories back. But, I'm able to eat more and that makes this far more doable over the long haul.

    This is right on. You should be completing cardio exercise 3-5 times a week and strength 2-3 times per week. Both are necessary for your overall health as well as weight loss.

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