2448: Cardio vs. Weight Training: Which Is Best For Weight Loss? AND How To Cope With Injury by Chalene Johnson

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Episode 2448:

Chalene Johnson explores the debate between cardio and weight training for achieving weight loss goals. Johnson advocates for a combination of both, emphasizing that strength training is crucial for boosting metabolism and improving overall physical health. She debunks the myth that high-intensity exercise is the only way to see results and encourages a balanced approach to fitness.

Read along with the original article(s) here: https://chalene.com/cardio-vs-weight-training-which-is-best-for-weight-loss/ & https://chalene.com/how-to-cope-with-injury

Quotes to ponder:

"Weight training is the best way to transform your body because you’re actually increasing human growth production, naturally."

"Long bouts of cardio means an elevated cortisol (stress hormone) response. It kicks into gear to protect you, holding onto body fat."

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[00:38.640 --> 00:44.880] This is Optimal Health Daily, Episode 2448, Cardio versus Weight Training, which is best [00:44.880 --> 00:51.760] for weight loss and how to cope with injury, both by Shalene Johnson of shalenejohnson.com [00:51.760 --> 00:56.720] and I'm Dr. Neal. Hey there, happy Monday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, [00:56.720 --> 01:01.280] where I act as your narrator of the best health and fitness blogs, all for free. [01:01.280 --> 01:07.440] This podcast covers fitness, nutrition, stress management, weight management, and lots more. [01:07.440 --> 01:11.600] It's kind of like an audiobook, but articles from a bunch of different authors. [01:11.600 --> 01:16.800] And then on Fridays, I do something a little different. That's where I answer your questions [01:16.800 --> 01:23.040] right here on the show. Now, usually I read you just one article each, but sometimes the [01:23.040 --> 01:27.440] articles are a bit on the shorter side and, you know, I want to make sure you get the amount of [01:27.440 --> 01:33.360] content you expect each day. So, when articles are a bit on the shorter side, I'll read two [01:33.360 --> 01:39.600] to you and that's the case today. So, let's get right to today's two posts and start optimizing [01:39.600 --> 01:44.640] your life. [01:44.640 --> 01:52.400] Cardio versus weight training. Which is best for weight loss? By Shalene Johnson of shalenejohnson.com [01:52.400 --> 01:57.760] Cardio training versus weight training. Which is the best exercise for weight loss in general? [01:57.760 --> 02:02.480] This question continues to be an ongoing war between health science professionals, [02:02.480 --> 02:08.960] everyday fitness bloggers, and your gym class clique. And to be frank, it's a trick question [02:08.960 --> 02:14.480] because if we're talking about longevity, the best is a combination of both cardiovascular [02:14.480 --> 02:20.640] activity and weightlifting. That said, there is an ideal type of workout for your overall health [02:20.640 --> 02:26.080] and reflection in the mirror. Most people, when stepping into a gym, have similar goals. [02:26.960 --> 02:33.360] Fat loss, get stronger, improve physique, and or shed pounds. If you are also looking [02:33.360 --> 02:38.240] for results from this list, I'd recommend to place strength training over cardio. [02:38.800 --> 02:43.680] The reason this isn't common knowledge is that most of us, from the time we're kids, [02:43.680 --> 02:48.800] have been inundated with the same message about exercise. That it's all about getting your heart [02:48.800 --> 02:54.400] rate up. So, here we are in aerobics classes running on treadmills and riding stationary [02:54.400 --> 03:00.640] bikes. All the time. And then we associate these sweat inducing workouts with calories burned and [03:00.640 --> 03:07.680] somehow, that's the magic bullet. Wrong. When we're talking about weight loss and fat loss, [03:07.760 --> 03:14.160] calories burned are but part of the equation. Your resting metabolic rate is perhaps even more [03:14.160 --> 03:20.000] crucial to your fitness goals. And strength training is by far the fastest way to ramp up [03:20.000 --> 03:25.120] your metabolism. If you identify as female, please don't think of strength training, [03:25.120 --> 03:30.720] which ranges from Pilates and yoga to lifting dumbbells and barbells, as something that's [03:30.720 --> 03:36.480] going to bulk you up. The only thing that bulks you up is fat. Weight training is the [03:36.480 --> 03:41.280] best way to transform your body because you're actually increasing human growth production [03:41.280 --> 03:46.960] naturally. This is like youth serum for your cellular processes. In turn, your hair grows [03:46.960 --> 03:51.520] quicker, your nails get thicker, and your skin looks better. It's cosmetic surgery [03:51.520 --> 03:55.760] via leg squats. No doctor required. Hey, does this sound like you? [03:56.560 --> 04:01.440] Gosh, my workouts are getting longer and longer and longer, but I feel like my body fat is going [04:01.440 --> 04:07.200] up. My recommendation is to just take a step back and consider practicing strength training. [04:07.200 --> 04:11.600] I promise it's going to make you feel stronger and more confident and help you break through [04:11.600 --> 04:17.200] that plateau. When you're lifting weights, you're tapping into and improving your central nervous [04:17.200 --> 04:22.800] system adaptation. You're creating muscle hypertrophy. Now, what does that mean? You'll [04:22.800 --> 04:28.160] experience greater strength and endurance, which will benefit your daily life in lots of ways. [04:28.960 --> 04:35.120] All exercise is good, right? But just don't overdo it. Those that lift every single day or so [04:35.120 --> 04:40.320] are not often allowing their bodies enough time to heal. That is not practicing a healthy lifestyle. [04:40.960 --> 04:46.000] And those who are doing cardio for hours a day, pounding their joints, and weakening the muscular [04:46.000 --> 04:51.200] system are not healthy. Happy health is living your life, feeling strong, and looking forward [04:51.200 --> 04:56.400] to your workouts. Look, if you're not excited to work out, something's wrong. You've either [04:56.480 --> 05:01.920] got to change up your exercise routine or your mindset. Don't think of it as punishment. [05:02.480 --> 05:07.280] You must think of it as me time, the time that makes you feel better. [05:11.680 --> 05:15.920] How to cope with injury by Shalene Johnson of shalenejohnson.com [05:17.440 --> 05:23.120] Injury. Eventually, we're all going to have one, a physical setback of some kind. [05:23.840 --> 05:29.120] And we tend to think of the experience only in terms of the physical impact it will have on us, [05:29.120 --> 05:34.880] but there's so much more to it. Whether the injury is due to surgery, overtraining, [05:34.880 --> 05:41.200] a fall, an accident, pregnancy, whatever the case may be, it's going to happen and you need to [05:41.200 --> 05:47.440] know how to cope. Let's get right to the biggest mistake people tend to make when recovering from [05:47.520 --> 05:54.480] an injury. Focusing on how soon you can get your body to be what it was before the injury. Listen, [05:55.040 --> 06:00.160] that is just too big of a goal. It's the wrong thing to do and sets you up for emotional and [06:00.160 --> 06:06.400] mental devastation. That's because a physical setback has an impact on every area of our lives, [06:06.400 --> 06:12.800] including our relationships. Here's why. What we do, our behaviors, actions, the way we move [06:12.800 --> 06:18.880] through the world relates to our physicality. I always tell people the best antidepressant [06:18.880 --> 06:25.200] is to just get out and move. So, when you have an injury and you're not moving in the same way, [06:25.200 --> 06:30.320] it negatively impacts the balance of chemicals in your brain. Having experienced countless [06:30.320 --> 06:36.880] physical setbacks myself from overtraining, being a risk taker, trying to learn new things, [06:36.880 --> 06:41.600] and teaching fitness classes, here's how I have found it's best to cope. [06:42.640 --> 06:49.600] 1. You've got to move your body in some way. The all-or-nothing mindset will keep you injured and [06:49.600 --> 06:55.200] down longer. You have to remember that, with almost rare exception, there's always something [06:55.200 --> 07:00.080] you can do. For example, let's imagine you've thrown out your back and you can't even get [07:00.080 --> 07:06.240] up out of bed. What then would you do? Move your hands and feet. You could also learn breathing [07:06.240 --> 07:11.040] techniques, which increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor production in the brain, [07:11.040 --> 07:17.760] which is exactly what happens when you exercise. And 2. Maintain your routine as much as possible. [07:18.720 --> 07:24.000] Knowing this in recent years when I've had a setback made the experience a little easier. [07:24.720 --> 07:29.920] These days, I really frame it as a blessing. When I ripped my hamstring off the bone a few [07:29.920 --> 07:35.760] years ago, there were, sure, some negative consequences. But right away, knowing I had [07:35.840 --> 07:42.800] been there before, I thought, okay, what are the blessings? And as soon as I was able to, [07:42.800 --> 07:49.200] literally three days later, I wanted to get back to my usual routine. So, with the leg in a fully [07:49.200 --> 07:55.040] locked position in a cast and crutches, I went to the gym. Could I do cardio? Nope. [07:55.760 --> 08:02.160] Try leg day? Nope. How about some upper body exercises? Yep. And that's what happened. [08:02.720 --> 08:09.520] I just did what I could do. I wasn't attempting to be back where I was. My goal was just to do [08:09.520 --> 08:15.200] something. That's your goal, too. When you do nothing as a result of an injury, [08:15.200 --> 08:18.800] you're actually regressing and making things a whole lot worse. [08:23.200 --> 08:28.720] You just listened to the post titled, Cardio vs Weight Training, which is best for weight loss, [08:28.720 --> 08:34.480] and How to Cope with Injury, both by Shalene Johnson of shalenejohnson.com, [08:34.480 --> 08:39.360] and I'll be right back with my commentary. When you're hiring, it feels amazing to finally close [08:39.360 --> 08:44.320] out a job search. But what if you could get rid of the search and just match? You can, [08:44.320 --> 08:50.960] with Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly [08:50.960 --> 08:57.440] visitors and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast. Ditch the busywork. [08:57.440 --> 09:03.680] Use Indeed for scheduling, screening, and messaging. 93% of employers agree Indeed [09:03.680 --> 09:08.560] delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites. One of the things I love [09:08.560 --> 09:14.320] about Indeed is that it filters out incompatible applicants. So when you're hiring, the process [09:14.320 --> 09:19.840] is much faster and you only have to consider applicants that are already likely to be a great [09:19.840 --> 09:26.160] fit. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs [09:26.160 --> 09:34.400] more visibility at indeed.com slash health. Just go to indeed.com slash health right now [09:34.400 --> 09:41.120] and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash health. [09:41.120 --> 09:47.840] Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed. Dr. Neal here for my commentary. [09:48.800 --> 09:54.640] Something today's author Shalene said reminded me of an experience I had. Shalene said to imagine [09:54.720 --> 10:00.320] we've thrown out our back and can't even get up out of bed. How would it be possible to move our [10:00.320 --> 10:06.160] bodies like she's recommending? What can we do? Okay, so here's what the situation reminded me of. [10:06.800 --> 10:12.400] A long while ago, I was teaching an introductory college level health class. We were discussing [10:12.400 --> 10:17.600] the importance of staying active. And I shared a quote from celebrity trainer Bob Green. [10:17.600 --> 10:25.040] The quote was this. I've heard every excuse why not to exercise except for a good one. [10:25.920 --> 10:33.520] A particularly smart alicky student then blurted out, oh yeah, what about paraplegics? To that, [10:33.520 --> 10:38.320] I quickly responded, well, we do the best we can with what we've been given. [10:38.880 --> 10:43.200] So if someone is unable to move their arms or legs as a paraplegic would, [10:43.840 --> 10:46.720] then they could think about performing some breathing exercises. [10:47.520 --> 10:51.200] That smart alicky student nodded and seemed satisfied with that response. [10:52.080 --> 10:58.240] So just as Shalene said, just do something. Even if it's not even close to what you used [10:58.240 --> 11:02.560] to be able to do, it can still help and it definitely still counts. [11:03.520 --> 11:06.960] All right, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great rest of your day. [11:06.960 --> 11:11.040] And of course, I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. Transcription results written to '/home/forge/transcribe.sonicengage.com/releases/20240204155445' directory