Cardio or Weight training???

I have to address this as many people often ask me which type of exercise is best for them based on condition x, y, z, etc.

Excuses (as I so gently label them):
"I only have 30 minutes.."
"I only have a treadmill in my basement.."
"Lifting heavy weights is hard..."
"I don't really want to gain muscle.."
"I just want to lose weight.."
And my personal favorite:  "I don't want to get bulky."

Okaaaaaayyyyy.  Brace yourself.  If you only have time for one type of exercise choose WEIGHT LIFTING (resistance training).  It works 100% of the time every time.  Get it?  Now for the ladies, don't worry.  Resistance training encompasses everything from dumbbells and barbells to resistance bands and plyometric training.  Any situation in which the body is placed under a load, be it from gravity or a weighted object, you are participating in weight training.  And NO you will not get bulky, unless of course you are injecting something I don't know about.  If you are not taking anything synthetic and you get bulky I will be making you rich anyways because you are a freak of nature and you will be the next bodybuilding champion with endorsements from every meathead supplement company this side of the Atlantic ocean.  Just sayin.

This lady lifts weights!!!!

And so does she!!

I don't see much wrong with the way they look and I am sure you don't either.  But that isn't what most women do.  Instead when I go to the gym, this is mostly what I see:

And usually she is more out of shape than this lady!

This usually goes on for rows and rows... and I have to wonder what juice these people are drinking.  Next time you go in the gym, look in the free weight section of the gym.  Then look at the cardio section.  What do you notice about the people?  I guarantee you more tone, in shape people are LIFTING WEIGHTS.  "But I am not in good enough shape yet to lift weights.."  Well do you use the toilet?  Oh you do?!  Guess what: you squat.  Do you ever pick something up that is dead weight off the ground?  Guess what: you deadlift.  Do you ever lay on the ground and then have to get up?  Guess what: you do a version of a Turkish get-up.  Look at you all rocking advanced moves and stuff.

I am a little hard on cardio aren't I?  Ok yes it is good for your "cardiovascular health" to move around. And if you need a machine to make you move then go ahead and hop on the treadmill.  Like this guy...

I swear I didn't make this up.

Yes that's right.  A treadmill with wheels...not to be confused with...THE GROUND.  If someone actually made money off this invention there may be no hope for humanity.  To me, when I go in gyms and see people on cardio I see this:

Makes sense when you think about it.  We made boxes for us to go inside to move.  There's a whole world out there and we need to get back to using it!

Ok I'm off my soap box.  Moral is this: do some resistance training and get off your butt and move!  Do whatever is fun for you as long as you move, but if you only have room, time, energy, money for one, make it resistance training.  You will increase your EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and burn more calories throughout the day as well as increasing strength, flexibility, and stamina.  You will increase blood flow to your muscles, increase insulin sensitivity, increase lean body mass, increase bone density, increase HDL, and increase your basal metabolic rate.  Your blood pressure, LDL, cholesterol, and body fat will all decrease.  Not to get too scientific on you but in summary, it will help you REACH YOUR FITNESS GOALS faster than any other mode of exercise.

In other news, tonight I made a fantastic Mexican frittata and because I am awesome I will share.  The prep and cook time takes about 15-30 minutes depending on if you use a food processor.  My ingredients included eggs, almond milk, lean ground beef, spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, bok choy, and cilantro.  I threw it all over some eggs and almond milk (to give it some consistency) and cooked on medium.  Great thing about this recipe is it is packed with lots of colorful veggies and low-carb so good for the evening.  Time to take this puppy for a walk...remember as always, one simple YES could change your life forever..

Ingredients prepped and ready to go..

Everything in the pan...

Ready to enjoy!

Obviously it was a hit...no I did not eat half by myself!