The 100% Guaranteed Way to Lose Weight!

There are quick ways to drop pounds, there are crazy ways to cut weight, but with all the many methods out there, all of them are actually only using ONE way... CHANGE!! Don’t get scared and stop reading now!!  I promise this WILL work and you CAN do it!!

This article is for people who think they have tried “everything”, those who have lost weight only to gain more back, those who have given up, thinking you’re doomed to stay the way you are forever. This is for people who have lost hope.

I can guarantee that you will reach your goal if you follow just a few easy guidelines...

First the 3 DON’Ts:

#1 - DON'T plan a life changing vigorous workout program that will get you dropping lbs in no time!! Although it sounds good in theory, psychologically it causes anxiety, stress and pressure which in turn causes your body to produce cortisol which will then cause weight GAIN! Not to mention, when you can’t keep up with it, there’s the downward spiral of guilt, depression and failure.

#2 - DON’T start a workout plan on a certain day or occasion like a New Years resolution or “I’m going to start on Monday” In fact, I’d advice to never start anything on Monday!! Poor Monday gets everything shoved off on it and it comes with enough of it’s own problems just being the first workday of the week!! When you have that start date looming out there, it’s just way to easy to self-sabotage and get too busy to do it.

#3 - DON’T severely restrict your diet, vowing to never eat cake again or to eat an extremely low  number of calories a day. Do NOT starve yourself! If you feel deprived, you will not be happy and will not succeed!

Now that those are out of the way, you’re probably thinking, ok, guru, what’s the secret? Well, the secret is, there is NO SECRET!! It’s just scientific proof!

As I stated in the first paragraph, what does work is change. Obviously, if we keep doing what we’ve always done we’ll continue to look and feel the same as always. We know we have to make changes, but how we go about making changes can vastly differ. My 100% guaranteed way to do this is in very small increments and for some, it can be almost imperceptible. WAIT!!!...

Before you stop reading because now you’re thinking, that’s going to take FOREVER!! Think again!! How long have you been in your current state? How long are you going to continue to remain in that state if you do nothing or spend all of your time searching for that “magic cure”? How long have you been trying “everything” else? Trust me this WILL work and it may be slow to start but it will have a snowball effect and you’ll look back in awe. Think about how quickly Christmas comes around each year, what if this year you were 2 sizes smaller than last year?

Speaking of change let’s think of it literally....

If you put just one penny in a jar every day...  

and kept doing that, over time, eventually you’d have about 5 pounds of pennies! (Ha! you thought it was going to be a dollar amount) Even if you missed a day or two, eventually you’d still have 5lbs of pennies if you just keep plinking them in there.

Or, how ‘bout this one... Let’s say a guy is painting a street line on a highway... 

and he makes a directional change of a fraction of an inch, it may not seem like much at first, but in a few miles he’s going to be going in a radically different direction, probably off the road entirely and probably out of a job!

So, now that we have a good picture (or two) of how that works, let’s put it into practice!!

Now the 3 DO’s:

#1 DO Decide how much change you can deal with and stick to. Change one eating habit per _______  (week, bi-weekly, every 21 days, month, etc) Example: give up snack crackers this week, then next week start eating a new veggie; compounding the changing process.

Then, add one physical activity per _______  Exaples: 10 sit-ups per day, walk to the end of your street every 2 days, etc. 

Just to be clear; once you make an eating change, that change is made forever until one day, you are eating a clean, healthy diet. The exercise changes should be consistent and ramp up gradually and comfortably, until you’re able to run that 5K or get through a Zumba class with ease or hike up Mt Whitney or whatever your goal may be.

#2 DO start NOW, yep right now!! Whatever change you decided on in #1 do it from this point on. For that matter, whenever you think to yourself, I need to exercise, don’t wait until whenever, show yourself you are serious and do something, anything, right there and then!! Stand up and do a couple of squats, a jumping jack or two, go for a walk, anything to alleviate the dread of a start date/time. Show yourself it’s not that bad and it doesn’t have to cause pain and agony. Show yourself you can do it!! It doesn't matter when or where you do it, just that you get it done.

#3 DO commit to a direction not a plan. This is a LIFETIME change!! If it’s not, you will go back to what you’re doing now and return to how you feel now. How long did it take you to get into your current condition? Did you wake up one morning suddenly in this body? No. Changing direction gradually, one baby step at a time, will give you the ability to stay with it because you won’t feel deprived or beaten to a pulp. But those little incremental changes will become permanent and will add up to BIG results!!

Do your homework!! Research healthy living! The more you know about it, the easier it will be to make changes. Make it a hobby! Start by reading my previous posts here :D

Most people know what they need to do, they just can’t get the wheels in motion or they bite off more than they can chew and quit. No matter what, stay the course. There are no set backs this way, no injuries, no starving, no pain, because it’s gradual, it’s done in your own time and in a way that you can handle it, you set the boundaries so there is no failure. Forgive yourself if you slip up, and just keep moving forward, one baby step at a time. 

I’ve heard so many people say, “I don’t know how I got here, one thing lead to another and before I knew it I was ____ lbs”  EXACTLY!!! You can make that same thing happen in REVERSE!! Over time you will look in the mirror and say “Wow, how did I do that?”

I look forward to seeing your success stories!!! START NOW!!!  

What Eating Clean is NOT...

What exactly is Eating Clean? You may ask.

First of all, the term itself leads to some confusion. The term is used in the old testament of the Bible, with God teaching people which animals are clean and which are unclean. Then there is the term used for proper food handling to prevent contamination. Also the practice of washing up for supper. None of these has anything to do with today's phraseology, "Eating Clean".   

Eating Clean is also NOT synonymous with eating Organic or Vegetarian or even Vegan !!! I have seen the most unhealthy recipes made with all organic ingredients (cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc) I have also been served a pile of french fries boiled in vegetable oil at a vegan restaurant (no, I did not eat them). 

Basically, eating clean refers to giving your body only the nutrition it needs for optimal function, limiting fat, sugar & sodium and balancing the carbs to protein ratio. From there it becomes a very gray area.

Trying to determine exactly what is considered to be clean eating is tough to do since, at some point, it's a matter of opinion and practices. For instance, clean for a vegetarian is going to be different that that of a vegan and both would be vastly different than that of a carnivore. 

However, that being said, all are in agreement with many foods that are NOT considered to be in the "eating clean" category. Here is a short list of what would definitely not be considered to be clean..

- Over Processed foods (usually in a package with numerous additives, most being unpronounceable)

- Foods with added sugar, fat, or both

- Foods with a high sodium content

- Foods that are unrecognizable as anything found in nature (like a twinkie, haha)

As with anything else, there is always the extreme side that in this case would say, eat nothing out of a bag or a box. That, however would eliminate things like steel cut oats or dried beans or frozen fruits & veggies, all of which would generally be considered healthy and clean. The other side of that coin would be to say, just stay away from foods with a laundry list (pun intended) of added chemicals, preservatives and GMO (genetically modified organism) foods, allowing for canned veggies or frozen entrees (like Healthy Choice), which I, personally don't consider to be healthy choices.

The point I'm trying to get across here is that you have to use your brain when choosing what to eat. Don't think you can order anything you like at a vegan restaurant or that you can eat anything organic and think you're eating healthy. That is simply not true. You first have to know WHAT your body needs, then you need to determine if what you're putting in your mouth is on that list. Sticking to simple, single ingredient foods is always a safe bet.

As I've said in previous posts, food is fuel. Anything extra you give it that it doesn't need or know what to do with gets stored (period, end of story). If you want a Ferrari or a Corvette body, then, like those vehicles, you'll need to give it premium fuel. If you're happy with your VW Bug body, then go ahead and use cheap, "regular" fuel.

Here are a couple of sites that will help you figure out just what nutrients and how much of each your particular body needs (they are all free to use)...

MyFitnessPal.com

DailyBurn.com

SparkPeople.com

You may field any questions, comments, critiques or criticisms to: Fitness4Ever2@Gmail.com 

Make it HARDER!!

For those of you who thought this was going to be some kind of erotic advice, See Part I, if not skip to Part II...

Part I -
 Here is a special exercise for you: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms out to the sides. Bend forward at the waist, stretch your arms forward and down, reach down even further and pick your mind up out of the gutter! haha  Now, see Part II for a really good tip.

Part II -
 This concept came to me over the holidays when I was making my pumpkin pie crust from scratch. Are you time challenged when it comes to working out? Only able to squeeze in 20 to 30 min? Wish you had more time to get better results? Or maybe you are a crazy, like me, always wanting to get more out of your workouts. Well, back to the pie crust... As I was kneading and rolling out the dough, I noticed that I was using different muscles that I apparently don't normally use and I was really feeling it. That lead to a whole chain of thoughts...
 It is an undeniable fact that humans are getting fatter every year... when did this start?... Is there perhaps another culprit besides the touted fast food rage? Yes!! That beast would be called convenience. When I was a child, Disneyland had a ride called "Carousel of Progress", in it were several devices designed to make work easier. That's where we started to go to pot (our bellies that is). As things continued to get easier and more convenient, our physical work loads on a typical day have become next to nada. It is so easy to wash a load of laundry today, compared to using a wash board and a wringer then hanging it on a line as in days of old. Hopping in your car to go get a loaf of bread, no grinding, mixing or kneading required, again, easy. You get my drift.


Our bodies were created for hard work, we can take it, in fact, we NEED it!!


So, here's where the "Make it Harder" phrase comes in...
I'm certainly not saying we should start using wash boards again or toss our microwaves out the window, but there are several little changes we can make to work a little harder and give our metabolism a boost, burning more calories and helping us get in some extra "workout" time in, just doing things we would normally be doing anyway. I'm sure most of you have heard the ol' adage, "Park further away from the store and walk", to which I often get the excuse, "I can't, I'm in a hurry" to which I then reply, "Good, then you'll have to walk faster and burn even more calories!"
Here are a few ways that I've found in my life to get in a little workout in the "Urban Gym"...

- If I'm going to the store for just a few things (milk, apples, yogurt...) instead of grabbing a cart, I get a hand basket (sometimes even two) and carry my items through the store doing little bicep curls.

- Instead of walking out to my mailbox (at the end of our street) I sprint as fast as I can both directions, some days even passing the mailbox a little ways to make it longer.

- I quit using my rolling laundry basket to take the laundry down a loooong hallway to the laundry room. Now, I do a couple of extra squats while picking up each load and lunge my way down the hall.

- While on hold with tech support or the cable company or (fill in the blank), see if you can hold a yoga pose for the entire time. Warrior 3, is a workout!! whew!

- While waiting for my toast to toast or oatmeal to cook, or water to boil or whatever in the kitchen, I do all kinds of exercises, like doing triceps dips with toes on one counter and hands on the opposite counter, or, I'll hold myself in an "L" press in the corner of the counters. There are lots of things you can do here, be creative!

- When putting away all the Christmas decorations, instead of using a dolly to roll all the boxes out to the garage, I hand carried them, doing deep squats then lifting them over my head a couple of times on the way to the garage and then carrying them up the ladder.

There, you have half a dozen examples, now do some creative thinking and post what you come up with here to give others even more ideas!! Let's encourage and challenge each other! :D

Exhaustercize??

Oooooo, I like this new word I just made up!!! I am using it to describe the counter-intuitive act of exercising to combat fatigue...

When you're sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, what should you do? You're feeling lethargic, you have no energy, you feel akin to Jabba the Hutt, where's the cure?

Should you:

A) Take a Nap

B) Drink a Red Bull or Rock Star

C) Top off that coffee one more time

D) None of the above...instead, choose E!!

E) stands for Exercise OR Exhaustercize!!!  WAIT!! Before you go gettin' all pissed off at me for pushing that dreadful torture at you once again... Read this study (that I had nothing to do with!)...

This article is from the WebMD News Archive

Exercise Fights Fatigue, Boosts Energy

Regular Exercise Better at Upping Energy Than Stimulants, Study Shows

By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feeling tired? A walk may be better than a nap for boosting energy and fighting fatigue.
New research suggests regular exercise can increase energy levels even among people suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, like cancer and heart disease.
It may seem counterintuitive, but researchers say expending energy by engaging in regular exercise may pay off with increased energy in the long run.

"A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise," says researcher Patrick O'Connor, PhD, in a news release. "But if you're physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help," says O'Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia exercise psychology laboratory, in Athens, Ga.

"We live in a society where people are always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar, or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day," says researcher Tim Puetz, PhD, also of UGA. "But it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and getting out and doing some physical activity every morning can provide that spark of energy that people are looking for."

Exercise Boosts Energy

Although many studies have shown that sedentary people who start a regular exercise program experience an increase in energy levels, researchers say few studies have quantified those effects.
In this study, published in Psychological Bulletin, the researchers analyzed 70 studies on exercise and fatigue involving more than 6,800 people.

"More than 90% of the studies showed the same thing: Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise," says O'Connor. "It's a very consistent effect."

The results show that regular exercise increases energy and reduces fatigue.
The average effect was greater than the improvement from using stimulant medications, including ones used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
Researchers say nearly every group studied -- from healthy adults, to cancer patients, and those with chronic conditions including diabetes and heart disease -- benefited from exercise.

So, there you have it, I would love to have my readers try this, then post their comments on what their outcomes were!! Let's hear it, does it really work?

Shop N Shave

Whether you need to shave off that extra winter weight or have just let yourself go and suddenly you've found yourself looking at this strange blob that slightly resembles you in the mirror. The best way to beat the battle of the bulge is to start at the store.

How can you cheat (ever notice that word also has the word 'eat" in it?) on your healthy eating plan if you don't have anything unhealthy in the house to eat? Well, ok, ya, you COULD actually go out, get in your car, drive to a fast-food joint, order something really evil, actually PAY good money for it and then go hide somewhere while you devour it. However, if this is what you're doing, you don't need this particular tip, you need a more intensive treatment (give me a call).

This tip is for those of us who find ourselves suddenly overwhelmed with the munchies or a sweet tooth or TV snack-mania. If you have a bag of greasy, fried potato chips in the house, you'll eat them. the key is not to have it there in the first place. It's also for those who have trouble with healthy meal planning. If all you have in your fridge and pantry are good, healthy ingredients that you've already pre-screened before you put them in your cart, it makes it so much easier for both snacking and meal planning. You don't have to worry about your choices being healthy or not because you already took care of that at the store.

Take the extra time to read those labels and make smart shopping choices. You'll gain that time back later when you're preparing your meals. If you get good, pure, unprocessed key ingredients (sample list to follow) Then it's easy to throw together a quick, healthy and delicious meal in a snap. It's also easy to stay on track even during TV time. Once you get the flow going, your shopping even becomes easier because you already know what you need to get.

Now I know there are those of you out there who are going to argue that you have others living in your house that don't care or want to eat healthy. I have one of those myself,  so I get it. If you can't get them to understand that "Food is Fuel" (see my other Blogs on this) and that life is so much more rewarding when you have the right "fuel in your tank", if they can't see that the wrong fuel is actually killing you and you want to save your own life, etc, then you have only one choice... food segregation. Yep that's right, it's a nutritional revolt. Keep all of your food in a separate area and if possible, keep it totally away from the potential sabboteurious foods (ok, so I made that word up, but it fits). You can still utilize this tip. Depending on who your "rebel" is, you can ask them to keep their stuff elsewhere in the house (not in the kitchen). This also heightens their awareness of what they're consuming and if you make it a chore for them to eat unhealthy, they might just give in.

So, in a nut shell: Buy only good ingredients and then when you're making a meal or grabbing a snack, all you have to think about is portions because the question of should I or shouldn't I has already been answered during the hunt (aka shopping).

Here's a short list of good things to have on hand:

- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Bison Tenderloin and/or bugers
- Frozen Veggie Patties
- MorningStar Farms frozen breakfast saugages (ya, a bit processed but still good)
- Frozen Fish (Wild Alaskan Salmon is my fav)
- Frozen mixed veggies (many different varieties)
- Frozen Fruit (watch out for added sweeteners)
- Edamame (fresh frozen or dried; great for snacking)
- Low or NonFat Cottage Cheese
- Fage Total 0% Yogurt
- Organic Eggs
- Ezekiel Tortillas (from Trader Joe's)
- Organic P-Nut Butter (just peanuts; drain off floating oil from new jar)
- Plain Hummus
- Organic fresh fruits & veggies
- Nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts...)
- Steel Cut Oats
- Shakeology (haha of COURSE I'm going to put this on the list!!)

That's just off the top of my head. If you want more suggestions let me know and I can work with your particular likings.

It's a Head Trip, Man

Boost Your Brain Health
By P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D.


Worried you're losing it? Join the club. But with a few easy changes, you can stay at your sharpest. Science shows you how.





Gary Small, M.D., remembers the patient well. An accomplished mathematician in his early 70s, the man consulted Small after struggling with calculations, and after his wife noticed he was getting cranky. Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging, put the mathematician through a battery of tests—and the man got top scores on all of them, including 30 out of 30 on a memory test and a whopping 140 on his IQ test. So when Small saw the patient's brain scan, he was stunned: it had all the markings of full-blown Alzheimer's disease.

"Usually, people with such profound brain changes can barely carry on a conversation," says Small. "This man was still doing high-level mathematics." Though the case is extreme, it is not unique. In fact, up to 20 percent of people autopsied who had no major memory problems are discovered to have had Alzheimer's, says Yaakov Stern, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

How does the brain continue to function—sometimes quite efficiently—despite changes that should cause severe disability? An answer, many scientists believe, is "cognitive reserve": the combination of a person's innate abilities and the additional brainpower that comes from challenging the mind. Studies show that diverse, mentally stimulating tasks result in more brain cells, more robust connections among those cells, and a greater ability to bypass age- or disease-related trouble spots in the brain. The more you work your mind, the greater your cognitive reserve. And the greater your reserve, the greater your ability to withstand the inevitable challenges of aging.

As a doctor specializing in memory problems, I have seen recent discoveries offer new hope and guidance to people who want to maintain peak brain performance. Although we don't know how to stop the devastation of dementia, we learn more each year about combating the small losses in brainpower that often come after 50—even while you enjoy the brain benefits of getting older (and yes, as you'll see below, those benefits do exist).

Your brain at 50+ 

Despite what our youth-oriented culture tells us, mental decline after 50 is not a given. In fact, in some ways the healthy brain gets stronger with age. Studies confirm that accumulated knowledge and expert skills (a.k.a. wisdom) increase as you get older. In addition, emotional savvy, such as not dwelling on negative thoughts, also appears to grow with age, as demonstrated in a recent Duke University study. Researchers showed a set of photos to study participants. Some of the photos were of neutral items such as household objects; others were distressing shots of violent scenes. Tested later, participants in their 70s remembered about the same number of neutral images as did those in their 20s, but the older people remembered fewer of the unpleasant ones. Cell-signaling activity in the older group suggested their brains filtered out bad memories.

Other brain functions may not improve with age, but they don't automatically wane either. One example is higher-order decision making such as choosing the best investments. Older people do as well as younger ones on tests that measure this function—as long as they aren't rushed.

And that's the catch. Some brain functions tend to decline with age, and speed is one of them. The likely reasons are loss of neural connections, blockages of blood supply, and decreases in nerve-signaling chemicals.

Memory can also diminish with age, though only certain types. Learned skills such as driving are wired so firmly that they typically do not decline unless you have a disease such as Alzheimer's. Memory for events (called explicit memory) is a bit more vulnerable, although episodes that really made an impression, such as meeting your spouse, are generally secure.

If your memory is suffering, it's most likely your short-term memory. This ability—which includes "working memory," where events are held before being filed for the long term—usually peaks by the early 30s. That's why memorizing complex new information, such as a foreign language, can get harder as you get older.

Nurturing neurons 

So how do you keep your brain at its best? By growing new brain cells, for starters. Long thought impossible, this turns out to be relatively routine in lab animals and, thus, maybe in humans. Scientists suspect that certain lifestyle habits can spark the cells' growth.

In 1998, Fred Gage, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, showed that the memory centers of adult human brains can grow new cells. Since then, studies by Gage and others have suggested that the more physical and mental exercise you get, the more brain cells you grow, the longer they survive, and the better they connect with other nerve cells. Exercise, such as brisk walking for 40 minutes four times a week, increases bloodflow to the regions of the brain shown able to grow new cells. "In our lab, when we discovered this, people started taking walks during their lunch hour," says Gage. Movement is so crucial to brain health that some of the cognitive changes blamed on aging may in fact be the result of inactivity, he adds.

Another simple, brainpower-boosting habit: pay attention to what you're doing. As we age, we become more prone to distraction, thanks to some of the same brain changes that can hamper our thinking speed. But even a split-second loss of focus can prevent a memory from being properly stored. So when you put down your glasses, focus on where you put them; they may be a whole lot easier to find.

Many memory problems stem from treatable conditions such as vitamin B deficiencies, depression, thyroid problems, or uncontrolled vascular disease. So if you notice changes, a visit to the doctor could set you straight.

If you're worried about your response time, practice can help quite a bit, researchers have found. After a group of people 65 and up did exercises in which they searched for and matched images, 87 percent of them improved their speed, according to a multicenter study led by the University of Alabama. And older adults who regularly tutored elementary-school students saw improvements in their own cognitive function after six months, a 2009 Johns Hopkins study showed.

Several of the activities that help you stay sharp are also good for your heart, your immune system, and your body's other machinery. In fact, a recently published study of 2,500 people ages 70 to 79 found that 30 percent of the group saw no decline in their mental performance or improved on cognitive tests over the course of eight years. And that fortunate 30 percent were more likely than the others to have some or all of these healthy traits:

• exercised at least once a week
• had at least a high-school education (or equivalent)
• did not smoke
• worked or volunteered
• lived with at least one other person.

Note that most of the time, these behaviors are under our own control.

Helpful habits 

Everyone can maximize his or her brain health. Living an active life—resisting the siren call of the couch and the remote control—is your best bet for staying sharp. Puzzles like the ones on these pages are one way to keep those synapses firing properly. And here are ten more brain-boosting activities:

1 Walk and talk Find a walking partner, study a topic, and discuss it on your walks. You'll get mental stimulation, physical exercise, and social connection-the key brain strengtheners.

2 Vary your routine Try a different grocer. Join a new club. Novelty stimulates new neural connections.

3 Get smart Be a lifelong learner, and don't dabble. If you decide to study a language, sign up for as many classes as you can fit in your week.

4 Play Pick games with several levels of difficulty, to master one by one. For quicker thinking, try to beat the clock.

5 De-stress Meditation, yoga, a walk in the woods: focus your mind and relax. This may build clearer memories.

6 Sleep Your brain is active when you are asleep—it is consolidating memories from your day. Skip the late show and give your brain time to work.

7 Imagine Include creativity in your day. Paint, write a diary or novel, visit new websites, or build your own.

8 Party Socialize and make new friends. Don't be a loner—it can lull your brain into slowdown mode.

9 Eat right A diet rich in fruits and veggies, whole grains, and fish will help keep oxygen flowing to the brain.

10 Watch your numbers Work with your doctor to keep blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol in check.

Most important, shun gimmicks. No product can build extra brainpower instantly or effortlessly. But with challenging new habits, you can make your mind steadily sharper and stronger—now and for the rest of your life.

P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., is chief of biological psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and coauthor of The Alzheimer's Action Plan. A writer on that book, Maryland freelancer Tina Adler, contributed to this article.

Which is Better; Cardio or Strength?

fitness:  article
CARDIO VS. STRENGTH-TRAINING WORKOUTS
A Women’s Health Fitness Face Off
by: Liz Plosser


In one corner: Dumbbells.
In the other: A jump rope.
The ref: WH, slicing and dicing the research to determine whether strength or cardio rules.




Passat or Prius?

Trader Joe's or Whole Foods? And when it comes to getting the body you want: strength training or cardio? Back when you carpooled in Ma's minivan, men went to the weight room and women hit Jazzercise. But recently, taking a cue from athletes, many fitness gurus insist that strength training is where it's at. Some even suggest ditching cardio altogether.

To resolve the strength vs. cardio conundrum, we culled research and chatted up experts to find out how each would fare in a head-to-head matchup (don't worry, nobody's going to bite anyone's ear off). Whether you want to get buff, torch calories, or run your fastest mile ever, we've decoded which discipline you should devote your sweat to -- and created a workout that's perfectly proportioned to give you all the benefits. Now, let's get ready to rumble...


To KO fat -- and keep it off...

Cardio's edge Calorie for calorie, cardio has a slight advantage. You'll burn 8 to 10 calories a minute hoisting weights, compared with 10 to 12 calories a minute running or cycling, says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Strength's edge Lifting weights gives you a metabolic spike for an hour after a workout because your body is trying hard to help your muscles recover. That means you'll fry an additional 25 percent of the calories you just scorched during your strength session, Westcott says. "So if you burned 200 calories lifting weights, it's really closer to 250 overall." And if you lift heavier weights or rest no more than 30 seconds between sets, you can annihilate even more.

And there's more good news when it comes to iron's fat-socking power. "For every 3 pounds of muscle you build, you'll burn an extra 120 calories a day -- just vegging -- because muscle takes more energy to sustain," Westcott says. Over the course of a year, that's about 10 pounds of fat -- without even changing your diet. Yes, please.

Winner: Strength


To squash stress...

Cardio's edge The head-clearing effects of, say, swimming or playing tennis show up faster than it takes to get a brow wax. Just 15 minutes of aerobic activity two to three times a week can reduce anxiety significantly, according to a 2005 study in the European Journal of Sports Science. Go at it 3 to 5 days a week and you can cut fatigue by nearly 50 percent. "Cardio elevates serotonin levels in the brain, a key neurotransmitter involved in improving symptoms of depression," says Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., director of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Mood Disorders Research Program and Clinic.

Strength's edge A big question mark. Scientists note promising results on the mood-altering effects of pumping iron. But more research is needed to nail the intensity and duration necessary to match cardio's benefits. So, for now

Winner: Cardio


To love standing naked in front of the mirror...

Cardio's edge Sports psychologists have been studying the effect of aerobic activity on self-confidence for decades. And they keep coming to the same conclusion: Runners, cyclists, swimmers, and other athletes have high confidence levels because of the sense of accomplishment they feel each time they cross the finish line -- even when they bring up the rear.

Strength's edge Think you look hot immediately after a workout? It's not your imagination. Blood has rushed to your muscles, making them swell and appear more toned. Beyond vanity, you feel confident because you just pressed some major poundage. In 2006, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario tested subjects' body image -- how they felt about others checking them out, and how satisfied they were with their own appearance before and after 12 weeks of strength training. The women made significant improvements, and they were particularly influenced by the physical results of increasing the amount lifted. So try this: Keep a log of how many sets and reps you complete and how much weight you're hoisting for each move. Every 4 weeks, go back and review your first workout. Feel the rush of pride, then strut your stuff.

Winner: Strength


To stay off the sideline

Cardio's edge [radio silence] The repetitive nature of cardio puts serious pressure on your joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons -- and the cartilage in between. If you've got a weak link, you're screaming to be benched. That is, unless you hit the weight room.
Strength's edge In a 2006 study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that a balance-training program -- think single-leg squats and anything on a wobble board -- reduced the risk of ankle sprains in athletes. "Functional strength training teaches your brain to allow muscle contractions that are quick enough to prevent or minimize injuries," says lead study author Tim McGuine, Ph.D., senior athletic trainer and research coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Your best bet: Choose moves that work your core, improve your balance, and force you to bend at multiple joints -- so lunges, rows, squats, and presses are all fair game.

Winner: Strength


To add years to your life

Cardio's edge There are more health perks in cardio's corner than Kabbalah bracelets in Hollywood. "Nothing compares with cardio for optimizing longevity," says Mike Meyers, Ph.D., an American College of Sports Medicine -- certified trainer and director of the Human Performance Research Laboratory at West Texas A&M University. "It reduces the risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, and even certain types of cancer." The ticker-strengthening benefits are especially sweet: A stronger heart pumps more blood with each beat, circulating oxygen more efficiently throughout your body; aerobic activity prevents inflammation around your thumper; and lacing up your sneaks can increase the "good" cholesterol in your blood by up to 8 percent in just 8 weeks, according to a 2007 study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Strength's edge A 2006 study by the National Institutes of Health found that lifting weights just twice a week can prevent you from gaining intra-abdominal fat -- the kind that wraps around organs and constricts blood vessels.

Winner: Cardio


To reach the finish line faster

Cardio's edge If you want to smoke your frenemy at your next 5-K, put in the miles. "The best way to train for an endurance event is by practicing it," Meyers says. "Swimmers, for example, need to learn how to breathe properly, and cyclists need to hone cadence."

Strength's edge For a speed boost, strength training is essential -- especially for your core and legs. "Plyometrics will improve your stride power, or the force you pedal with," says Diane Vives, C.S.C.S., owner of Vives Training Systems in Austin, Texas. For explosive power, she recommends the standing triple jump: Swing your arms back, then forward as you leap, landing on your right foot. Quickly hop forward onto your left foot, then hop back and land on both feet. Continue for 4 to 6 reps. Do 3 sets, resting 60 to 90 seconds in between.

Winner: Draw