By Betty Murray

Are you consistent in working out, but struggling to see improvement in your weight or cardio health? You may need to take a close look at your workout routine. A lack of variety in your workouts may be the problem. A recent study suggests that a the best workouts for weightloss, and reduction of the risk of heart disease is a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training.

According to the study, when weight training was combined with about 150 minutes per week of aerobic excercise (walking), those individiuals lost more weight, trimmed more inches from their waistline and reduced their risk of developing heart disease by as much as 7 percent. The concept that the most effective workouts are routines where a variety of exercise is included is not a new one. However, there is now concrete evidence that shows weight training combined with aerobic exercise is more beneficial than a simple aerobic workout.

This CNN article on the recent study also notes that study participants were under the supervision of a personal trainer, and that weight training with a trainer on gym equipment is more effective than weight training at home with dumb bells. Even so, if you want to get more out of your workouts at home, adding workouts with weights as well as core strengthening exercises will likely help you achieve more results that simply walking or running.

To get more out of your workout, take a set of dumbells along with you on your walk. The additional exercise for your muscles will add strength and help keep fat from binding to your cells. If you don’t have access to weights, interval workouts are also more effective. A jog combined with short bursts or sprints is much more effective than maintaing the same pace for the duration of your workout. Here are a few examples of simple interval workouts:

  • Jog for 5 minutes, sprint for 1 minute
  • Jog for 1/2 mile, sprint for 1/4 mile
  • Jog for 10 minutes, do 2 minutes of core or strength training exercises (jumping jacks, lunges or ab work)

If you are frustrated with a lack of results from your workouts, don’t be. What you need to see results may be as simple as adding weight training or interval training to you workout routine.

Betty Murray, CN, HHC, RYT is a Certified Nutritionist & Holistic Health Counselor, founder of the Dallas-based integrative medical center, Wellness and founder of the Metabolic Blueprint wellness program. Betty’s nutrition counseling practice specializes in metabolic and digestive disorders and weight loss resistance. A master of the biochemistry of the body, Betty teaches her clients how to utilize nutritional interventions to improve their health. Betty is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.