I’d like to announce the beginning of a new feature here in the Fitness Blog – it’s the Dear Heather section and I’m going to use it to address some specific questions from readers that I receive through private messages periodically. While I’m not an expert on all the questions I’m asked, I do dig in for the answers and I’m hoping to provide you with as many answers as I can. Originally, the Dear Heather was scheduled to begin on Monday, but this weekend was a little crazy with my husband needing an emergency appendectomy. So look for this feature on Mondays regularly from here on out.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the mailbag:
Dear Heather: I wanted to ask you a quick question I have about fitness. If I want to lose weight, should I do cardio or weight lifting first? I’ve heard both sides and I’ve heard combination, but what I want to know is where I should I really focus my efforts? – Jennifer
Jennifer,
Thanks for writing and asking the question. Yes there is a lot of information out there on weight loss and exercise. You need both, but there is more than ample evidence that weight lifting will ultimately burn more calories in the long run. Weight loss programs need a combination of factors though from nutrition to exercise. You should exercise at least 3 to 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes per session.
This can be performed as 30 minutes of cardio with 15 minutes of weight training, with at least one day off between each weight training session unless you perform upper body weight training one day with lower body weight training the next. Weight lifting or training will burn far more fat because it will build muscle, which burns more calories and raises your metabolic rate for a few hours after the weight lifting session – whereas in cardio, your metabolic rate returns to normal relatively quickly.
Combine your cardio and weight lifting to maximize your efforts.
Dear Heather: I’m trying to lose weight, should I run or just walk really fast? I don’t want to get hurt, but I want to do what I need to do to burn off these extra pounds. What’s the best choice? – Linda
Linda,
According to the experts, running burns far more calories per minute than walking, but you don’t want to dive into a running program right off the bat especially if you aren’t used to exercising regularly. Remember, even when we’re infants, we have to crawl before we can walk and walk before we can run. You want to build a good foundation for your muscles before you start running regularly.
If you want to build up to a running program, you should start with a walking program that includes walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for two to three weeks. Begin substituting 10 minutes of running in the middle of your 30-minute sessions, such as walk for 10, run for 10, and walk for 10. Continue to increase your running by 5-minute increments over the subsequent weeks until you’ve built up to 30 minutes of running per day.
Be sure that you warm up with stretching before every walking or running session and to cool down properly after each one. So that means if you want to run 30 minutes a day, you should include 5 to 10 minutes of walking warm up and 5 to 10 minutes of walking cool down after your run. Hope that helps!
Do you have any questions you’d like answered here? Send them in!
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