The best workout.

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Karen789
Karen789 Posts: 3 Member
edited February 2018 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, what is the best workout for us shorter gals? I have been eating healthy, and I want to loose weight, is cardio more affective or strength training, if both, how many days of each?

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Best workout for what? If you state your goals it will help people narrow down their responses. That's a question that can't be accurately answered without more context.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Karen789 wrote: »
    Hi, what is the best workout for us shorter gals?

    Most of the top female trail and fell runners are short...
  • evergara6753
    evergara6753 Posts: 4 Member
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  • evergara6753
    evergara6753 Posts: 4 Member
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    This elliptical will get from your arms, abs, legs, gluts and I love it.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited February 2018
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    Cardio generally gives you the better bang for your calorie burning buck, but strength training is really important as well, especially for women as we get older. The number one most important thing, though, is finding something you enjoy and can continue doing. If you hate running, then don’t do it. Same with weight lifting. There are tons of options out there - why not spend some time trying out different things?

    ETA: I’m also short, and other than the sort of team sports that call for height, I’ve never heard of any activities being better or worse for us compared to anyone else. And I mean, if you wanted to join a volleyball team at the rec center or whatever, they probably wouldn’t kick you off.
  • ZRunner5Lulaica
    ZRunner5Lulaica Posts: 168 Member
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    My best workouts have been the ones I enjoy and can stick to. That equals out to running, biking, and playing volleyball. I'm usually one of the shortest on the courts, but I'm also closer to the ground, so digs don't scare me.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Best workout for what? If you state your goals it will help people narrow down their responses. That's a question that can't be accurately answered without more context.

    This!

    The best workout for me and my goals might not be the best workout for anyone else ... and their goals.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,847 Member
    edited February 2018
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    The best workout is the one you enjoy so much you'd do it even if it burned zero calories . . . and that maybe even makes you do other workouts you don't enjoy quite as much, in order to get better at the one you love.

    If you love it, you'll do it. The theoretically perfect workout you'll procrastinate, maybe drag unhappily through occasionally, is far inferior to a less grandiose workout that you enjoy and happily do regularly.

    At age 46, I happily discovered that for me, the magic was rowing - those skinny boats like in the Olympics, only mine is slower (and that's OK). Now, at 62, I still do it as much in season as my body will tolerate, do other things in between to improve fitness for it (spinning, cycling, weight training), and do off-season activities I don't love as much to stay in year-round shape for it (swimming, rowing machine).

    No one else knows what that right thing is for you, but whatever it is, that's the sweet spot.

    About all you can do is think of things you've fantasized about doing, and try them - work up to it, if it seems out of immediate reach. There are so many options: Tennis, powerlifting, in-line skating, ice hockey, interpretive dance, Zumba, yoga, hiking/backpacking, triathlon, cycling, martial arts, swimming, running, pole dancing . . . I could go on indefinitely.

    If you're not sure, just start trying things. Give each new thing enough time to get past the newbie awkwardness: Anything complicated enough to be fun over the long term will be hard at first. Everyone who's already there, now doing it intimidatingly competently, was new once. ;)

    Even sampling things can be fun. Read a book; take a group class at a gym,Y, community college or adult ed; work out along with an instructional video; hire a trainer; check out meet-ups.

    Have active fun. That's fitness, that's weight loss. Just my opinion. :)

    Best wishes!

  • theresa961
    theresa961 Posts: 37 Member
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    Love Orangetheory
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
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    I love pick thing up and putting them down again (weight lifting) but not so hot on cardio or so I thought. I started training for a half marathon and found out I enjoy trial running a little more and then I found out I also enjoy distance running, 50km later I like picking things up and putting them down again and running stupid long distances while talking to myself.

    Try new things and find what you love.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    edited February 2018
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    IMO, the best workout is the one you more or less enjoy and will stick with consistently long term. Cardio and resistance training are both important in regards to general fitness. Either or and possibly neither will inherently help with weight loss...weight loss comes down to a consistent calorie deficit. You can do all the exercise in the world, but if you eat a maintenance level of calories, you're not going to lose weight.

    Regular exercise can help make that calorie deficit a bit easier in that any additional activity you do will increase your CO.

    My wife is short and she is a runner and sometimes cyclist and lifts.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Azercord wrote: »
    I love pick thing up and putting them down again (weight lifting) but not so hot on cardio or so I thought. I started training for a half marathon and found out I enjoy trial running a little more and then I found out I also enjoy distance running, 50km later I like picking things up and putting them down again and running stupid long distances while talking to myself.

    Try new things and find what you love.

    I like to see people who lift weights and run distance since so many people think it can't be done.

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