So, Skip the treadmill?

So, skip the treadmill?

It’s a new year, you may have made some resolutions. If you’re like a lot of people, one of those resolutions may have been to exercise more regularly.

Most people want to include exercise as part of their routine to improve their general health and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and lose a little weight along the way. But you probably also want the most bang for your buck. Because who has time to be on a treadmill for 45 minutes every day, or even 3 times a week!

The good news is that you might not have to. There is lots of good evidence to suggest that resistance training can help to improve body composition (increase muscle mass while reducing body fat), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and help to manage metabolic disorders and obesity [1].

A 9-year study that followed over 12,000 people who either engaged in resistance training or no exercise found that those who did a total of 60 minutes had a 40-70% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease events [2]. These events included heart attack and stroke. This population also had a decreased BMI, which is what researchers determined caused the reduction in risk.

What is resistance training? It doesn’t have to be as complicated as going to the gym and lifting weights. The basics is that you need to be moving a heavy load. There are lots of body weight options available online- thousands if you google it. But this can include squats, push ups or planks, burpees, lunges, etc. And a total of 60 minutes per week can be broken up into smaller segments to make it more sustainable. 10 minutes a day is much more manageable than 45.

So, give it a try!

Are you looking to give your health a boost after the holidays? Book an appointment to see your naturopath today!

1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931407/

2] https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00005768-900000000-96766