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August Fitness Tips

  • Published
  • By Michelle Walker
  • 169th Force Support Squadron
MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. --  Is it better to do weightlifting before or after an aerobic workout?

Whether you do weightlifting before or after an aerobic workout is up to you. Research hasn't definitively shown that one way is better than the other.

Consider the factors that fuel the debate about when to do weightlifting:

· Weightlifting can deplete the glycogen stores in your muscles. Glycogen stores provide you with energy for short-duration intense activity and longer duration endurance activity.

If you do weightlifting first, you may find that you're too tired to complete a more intense aerobic workout.

· An aerobic workout can be a good warm-up for weightlifting. If you do your aerobic workout first, make sure that you're not too tired to lift weights with proper form. Poor weight training technique could increase the risk of injury.

If you include weight lifting and cardio in one session, experiment to find what works best for your goals.

If you want something healthy and refreshing to snack on during the summer, make your own popsicles. Add blueberries, cut strawberries and coconut water. This will also give you plenty of potassium and vitamin C.

Fruit smoothies are great for breakfast, but make sure you only use one piece of fruit with a half cup of berries or just one and a half cups of fresh fruit. Add protein to your smoothies with plain Greek yogurt, since you already have the sweetness of the fruit, and then add a few almonds for your monounsaturated fat (good fats).