User blogs
If exercise doesn’t appeal to you, then the answer is…whatever exercise you are willing to do.
Any exercise is always better than none.
People just beginning their weight loss journey or those returning to it often voice concerns about burn out. And for that reason, it is always best to start slow and work your way up to a regiment that works for you. Strength training is often one of the best places to start. The more muscle you build, the more fat you burn. This doesn’t mean you have to end up big and bulky. You can be lean while also muscular. Something to keep in mind when considering weight training is that muscle takes up less room than fat. One of the key benefits of strength training is that it continues to work for you long after the workout is complete.
As mentioned above, the more muscle you build, the more fat you will burn, even while resting post workout. Strength training increases your metabolism. Combined with dialing in your nutrition, strength training can help you reach your weight loss goals and maintain them over time.Cardio is often the go-to for people when they think weight loss.
While I believe that everyone needs a healthy balance of cardio and strength training, cardio does not provide the same metabolic rate benefits on its own. Of course, you burn calories during a cardio workout, but the post workout metabolic rate settles quite quickly after the workout. Many people who primarily do cardio, end up burning muscle right along with fat. Muscle is precious calorie burning cargo that you want to keep!
HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is a great combination of both strength training and cardio and can provide the benefit of high calorie burn during the workout and calorie burn after because you have built muscle as well as raised your heart rate. HIIT is a great metabolism booster. There are different versions of HIIT, and some are more intense than others incorporating plyometric exercises that can intimidate newcomers.
Don’t be intimidated though! HIIT can be done by newcomers and seasoned exercisers alike. You don’t have to jump and run to do HIIT, low impact is always an option. Be careful to not overdo HIIT as there can always be too much of a good thing. HIIT can be very taxing on your nervous system, so incorporating it 2x a week can be very beneficial but much more can lead to injuries or draining your system and losing your momentum.
Many people are unsure where to start with strength training, so they often fall back to what is comfortable, which ends up being cardio. I see you on that treadmill! If you need help getting started with and incorporating strength training into your regiment, I would love to help! Reach out below to get the ball rolling.
By Sami Nordlund,
www.foreverfitnesstraining.com/blog
As a sports dietitian, I have specialized training in supplements and their indicated use. And I have NEVER recommended a greens powder to any client. Why? It seems healthy! Isn’t it a good way to get extra nutrients? Or what if you are not a fan of vegetables, should you use a greens powder then? Still probably not, and here is why. Please note this is my opinion! It is not medical advice or a nutrition recommendation.
It depends on your definition of “work.” By “work,” do you mean they are expensive and likely not as useful as fruits and vegetables in their whole form? Greens powders are marketed to be able to do all sorts of things, like help with aging, digestion, cognition, immunity, stress management, and more. It is cheaper and likely healthier to get benefits of greens through whole veggies. The entire food matrix has many substances that could be lost (or too concentrated) in a greens powder.
One product doesn’t usually do multiple things for your body effectively, safely, or even at all. Multiple health claims are a red flag. Another red flag is they usually have multiple ingredients. One very popular one boasts 75 ingredients–as if this is a good thing. This is actually quite problematic. Why? Multiple ingredients means you don’t know how they will interact with each other. Is it the therapeutic dose for each ingredient? Is each ingredient actually then absorbed properly if 74 other ingredients are taken at the same time? Is it harmful to take in 75 different ingredients/vitamins/minerals/adaptogens? Many compounds in powdered greens (especially ones with 75 ingredients) can interact with medications. (DOI: 10.31080/rcpt.2022.10.00693)
Greens powders are often very expensive but have limited evidence for usefulness.
They have risk for contaminants, including harmful bacteria and fecal matter 
from chlorella and spirulina (common ingredients in greens powders) PMID: 29169006
While some don’t list caffeine on the label, some have green tea extract, a common source of caffeine. One testimonial on a popular greens powder website (that has green tea extract) says “I don’t drink coffee…due to a caffeine allergy, but AG works fantastic…to get me amped up for the day!” Guess what, buddy, you are probably amped from the caffeine. If you don’t know you are getting caffeine from this product, you may also get other sources throughout the day. Too much caffeine may be harmful for sleep and heart health, become addicting, and cause irritability and jitters. Some powders may also upset digestion.
Supplements are unregulated in the US. You have no idea what is in the bottle. The actual ingredients and the label do not have to match up. If you choose to use a greens powder, use one that is third-party tested NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice. Contaminants have been found in many supplements include heavy metals, prohormones, steroid-like compounds, and more.
If you literally never eat fruits and vegetables, you may possibly benefit from a greens powder. Look for one that is third-party tested for contaminants, and look for one that has simple ingredients such as powdered vegetables and leafy greens, without a lot of additional ingredients that seem to be thrown in for marketing purposes. However, training your taste buds to tolerate vegetables is a much better route for overall health.
For these reasons, I have never recommended that someone start a greens powder. You are much better off and safer just eating your fruits & veggies!
Want more information? Check out our amazing nutrition resources, including on-demand courses, free downloads, and webinar replays.
- Nutrition Beta: Indoor Climbing and Comps
- Nutrition Beta: Outdoor Climbing
- The Ultimate Guide to Useful Sports Supplements
- Ditch Diets and Become an Intuitive Eater
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