This Or That: Health & Fitness Your Way!

By Jessica Holt @jesskickinit

The Fitness industry is oversaturated with information that can be quite confusing and overwhelming to sort through, from the latest trends, fad diets, exercise hacks and so on! In reality, a great deal of it comes down to personal preference and personal goals. Let's dive into 10 topics that may have had you on the fence once or twice.

AM or PM: When is the best time to workout?

There are early morning and late evening workout enthusiasts, but either preference carries a good amount of benefits. Morning workouts help to increase your energy levels and jumpstart your metabolism. Evening workouts help with stress relief and maximum strength however, it may interfere with your ability to go to wind down and sleep. These are two things to consider when deciding which time of day is best for you. Also think about what best accommodates your daily routine.

Cardio or Strength Training

This greatly depends on your personal goals. Cardio definitely burns more fat in less time, and strength training is better for building muscle. A well rounded exercise regimen includes both.

Upper or Lower Body: Which should come first in your routine

Your personal goals will really help you determine this however, it’s a good practice to train largest to smallest. Your largest muscle group includes your legs, glutes, back and chest. Exercising small muscles first could limit your ability to overload the larger ones.

Eating: Before or after workouts

Similar to a car, the body needs fuel, and nutrients supplies your body with what it needs for a workout. Eating before exercise improves overall performance however, there are many mixed reviews. Some people prefer working out in a fasted state. Fasted workouts increase your body's ability to use fat as fuel. The major key is, before or after getting the nutrients within the hours around exercise is important. The choice is yours!

Intermittent Fasting or Keto

This one is interesting, some people even inquire about doing these simultaneously for greater benefits. The goal of Keto is to achieve ketosis (using ketones for energy). Intermittent fasting will almost surely help you reach ketosis at a much faster rate. Both methods are used to drop weight and control various health conditions. To break it down, Intermittent Fasting is the cycle between fasting and food consumption for a specific time period. Keto is a high fat, low carb method of dieting. Lowering carbs forces your body to rely on fats as your main energy source. The benefits are weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

Eating According to Blood Type or Eating a Well-balanced Diet

There’s a lot of talk and stir regarding eating according to blood type. It’s believed that the foods you eat chemically react with your blood type. Blood type diets claim that blood type can determine which foods work best with a person’s internal chemistry. There is very limited research regarding this however, eating according to your blood type requires you to know your blood type and follow a restrictive diet. An overall healthy diet is good because it provides balance, improves various health risks, increases energy levels, and helps maintain body weight. Try to maintain a diet of as many natural foods as possible and less processed foods.

Exercise Frequency: Everyday or Every Other Day

Some people believe “a little bit every day, goes a long way”. It is recommended to perform some form of physical activity each day for at least 30 minutes. Although, the intensity of those workouts is cause for some variation. The biggest factor is time, something quick and challenging is ideal. Working out on alternate days allows your body to rest and recover. The frequency of your workouts could depend on your personal goals and what you’re trying to accomplish.

Indoor or Outdoor

Outdoor workouts have proven to improve energy levels and decrease stress. Overall it's free and offers vitamin D benefits. Indoor workouts offer control with no environmental factors/elements to worry about. You don’t have to choose just one. Mix it up!

Pounds or Inches

Scale weighing is our standard measurement in the fitness world, yet a scale may not always be the best tool. The scale cannot differentiate between fat weight and lean mass weight. Muscle is denser than fat. Sometimes the change in body shape is the result of gaining muscle while losing fat. Your body goes through recomposition, measuring inches lost is much better than the scale.

Solo or Group Classes

Group classes are a good option if you need extra motivation to get through your wor because of the social environment it provides. Studies show that those who work out with a partner are generally more motivated than solo exercisers. Working out alone does offer benefits like being able to set and work at your own pace and schedule with no distractions. It’s all about you!

Which works for you? Let us know in the comments

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