By Rashidul Amin
Often, we ask ourselves – what’s the best way to lose weight? Losing weight is a healthy goal when it comes from a place of being concerned about our wellbeing. But, when you are going to choose a specific weight loss program such as cardio training or weight training, it can be confusing. Should I choose weight training over cardio or vice-versa?
Don’t worry! We have got you covered. Start scrolling the article. When you have reached the end, you will be able to distinguish the core differences between cardio and weight training for a goal of losing body fat. Here’s the scoop on cardio vs weight training (and, spoiler – why we think you need both).
Why Cardio Training is Good for You
1. Cardio training enhances your cardiovascular health.
There is a reason why people love cardio training. It improves your heart health significantly. On top of that, your heart will function better in stressful circumstances. It will always be difficult to start something new, especially cardio training such as running. When you have taken the first steps for a run, you might feel extremely tired as a beginner. But, if you start running every day, you will get stronger. Ultimately, cardio training will fill your heart with oxygen pumping and flowing through the veins.
2. Cardio training will help you lose body fat.
If burning body fat is your goal, cardio training will do that for you. There are two types of cardio training – Low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The first type is fundamental to a rigorous weight loss program. The latter is perfect for retaining the prevailing muscle core by invigorating the fat-burning enzymes. Not to mention, this exercise type will increase your heart rate. In a way, you would be able to lose body fat massively. So combining LISS and HIIT is your best bet.
3. Cardio training increases brain power.
As you age, you will notice that your brain is not working just as it did five years ago. The reason is our brain’s cognitive performance declines when we cross the age of 30. But you can prevent it by starting a cardio exercise program. With regular cardio exercises on your side, your brain will deliver a higher level of cognitive performance.
4. Cardio training keeps your immune system in balance.
As we are going through a pandemic, we must keep our immune system in balance. Having a strong immune system might just save your life. Even light cardio exercise can improve your immune system by increasing the level of immunoglobulins. The immunoglobulins are known as the immune protecting molecules, stemmed from white blood cells. In short, your body will respond positively.
Why Weight Training is Good for You
1. Weight training creates the muscles
Weight training is the step you’ll need to take for building muscle. When you start doing weight training, you will put more resistance on your muscles. As a result, the tissue inside the muscles will break down fast. However, your body will respond by healing the broken tissues. This is how your body builds muscle. Your endurance, power and strength will improve significantly. To add to that, your body’s basal metabolic rate or BMR will rise as well. This means that you’ll burn more calories throughout the day while your body is at rest.
2. Weight training helps you lose body fat.
When you are doing weight training, you will have an increased level of lean muscle mass. This in turn boosts your metabolic rate, resulting in more calories burned (although weight training doesn’t burn the same level of calories as cardio exercises would do). But despite that, weight training results in even more fat burn because it continues long after the workout session is done.
3. Weight training eliminates stress.
It’s common to feel intimidated by starting to lift weights.But it can have great stress-relieving properties. It can decrease the cortisol levels in the body. So, weight training is a good way to relieve stress. It’s also common to experience better sleep at night.
Remember that weight training is great for losing body fat. Additionally, your body will build lean muscle at the same time. On the other hand, cardio training will improve your cardiovascular health for the long term.So which is better? Here at BetterYou, we say both. The healthiest workout routine is one that combines both of these to get the most benefits. And the best workout is one you’ll be able to stick to!
