Hey there!  Maybe you found this post because you are getting into a new fitness routine and you want to see how your time could be best spent and still get the biggest bang for your “buck”.

If you are starting to exercise in an attempt to lose weight (that was my motivation for getting started) then you should definitely consider the fact that your nutritional choices will have the biggest impact on weight loss!

Still, working out can make some amazing impact on your physique so let’s get started!

Cardio

When you imagine someone “starting to exercise” is the first image that comes your mind someone on an elliptical or a treadmill?  Cardio is the iconic “weight loss” exercise.  Why do you think that is?

Well cardio does burn calories!  And people who are trying to lose weight are often carefully tracking their calories eaten vs. calories burned, for which cardio can give quite a good burn.  If you are trying to cut an extra 3500 calories per week to lose fat, changing your daily eating habits and adding in 4-5 cardio workouts per week could get you there.

Cardio exercise is beneficial to your heart muscle as well.  Just like any muscle, your heart can and will age and deteriorate.  How rapidly that happens is up to how you treat your body.  You can keep your heart young by incorporating regular cardio exercise.  Isn’t that why we all did the “jump rope for heart” type fundraisers as kids to promote heart healthy by raising our heart rate?!

And while you are keeping yourself “young at heart”, cardio exercise provides you with a wonderful release of endorphins!  When the endorphins are flowing, the stress you feel should be subsiding.  Cardio exercise can offer your temporary relief from mild depression and anxiety.  (But for real, if you are clinically depressed, you will need help from a medical professional, not just exercise!)

I know there are tons and tons of “I Hate Cardio” memes, but there are actually (call them crazy) people who enjoy cardio!  Isn’t that reason enough to do it?  Running, Zumba, dancing, swimming, step workouts, those are just a few examples of cardio workouts that people do “for the fun of it”.

Weights – Strength Training

While it may not be the first thought that comes to your mind if you are trying to lose weight, gaining muscle mass is an important element of a typical fitness journey.  And like you may already know, strength training is what you need to do to get there.

Put away the image of an insanely huge and cut bodybuilder, that is a whole different level and lifestyle of training!

When I still had 100 pounds to lose and decided to join a gym, I had nearly zero experience in the weight lifting department.  My first trainer told me about all the benefits of strength training and got me on a routine of working specific muscle groups in a weekly routine.

Isn’t feeling strong wonderful? When you set you start a routine and you notice you are able to lift heavier and heavier objects, it can be quite exhilarating.

And that increased strength will translate into more muscle tone which will give you a higher resting metabolism.  And do you know what that means?!?  That’s right!  You will burn more calories in a day just doing nothing at all than you were previously.  So just by adding a few pounds of lean muscle to your frame you can burn more calories while you binge watch Netflix at night than you used to.

That’s not all the extra muscle is going to do for you.  Strong muscles help protect your bones and joints and provide some level of injury prevention when you are out living your best life and running and/or playing sports.  If you are dedicated to a sport like running, basketball, soccer, whatever it may be, strength training will help increase the power and speed you bring in your race or game.

Why We Should Do Both

Now you know (or have been reminded) of some of the benefits of cardio exercise and strength training.  Many people fall into exclusively cardio or exclusively weight lifting camps.  But a well rounded fitness program will incorporate both!

There is no doubt that strength training will help you change the shape of your body and increase your strength.  If you have excess fat you are working to lose, regular cardio exercise will compliment your strength training program and help expedite your fat loss.

To get the best from both elements of your workout you will want to do your strength training first and then follow with your Cardio workout.

Who wouldn’t want to get all of the benefits of Cardio and Weight Lifting?!  Maybe someone who is a dedicated Yogi– but that is a whole other realm of fitness in my mind and a topic to tackle in another post.

Which do you enjoy more?  Cardio workouts or weight lifting?