{"id":2038,"date":"2011-07-27T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/squishy-data-and-the-best-exercise-for-heart-health.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T08:59:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T12:59:32","slug":"squishy-data-and-the-best-exercise-for-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2038","title":{"rendered":"Squishy Data and The Best Exercise for Heart Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Is it cardio or resistance? <\/span>
Yoga or Pilates? <\/span>
Walking or Running?<\/span>
Paper or Plastic? <\/span>
Cash or Credit? <\/span>
Here or To Go? <\/span>

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div>\n

This Study (bit.ly\/on9sNn<\/a>) from the American Journal of Cardiology <\/i><\/span><\/span> determined that you need a little of both … but the data are kind of squishy. See what you think. <\/span><\/span><\/span>

<\/span>
Here’s how they came to their squashy conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers randomly assigned 196 overweight, sedentary adults to three different exercise programs.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. The first group did resistance training three days a week, working out on eight different weight machines to target upper and lower body muscles. <\/span><\/div>\n
2. A second group did two hours of aerobic training per week on gym machines — the equivalent of about 12 miles of walking or jogging over the course of the week. <\/span><\/div>\n
3. The third group was assigned to do both the weight-training and aerobic-exercise programs.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span>
<\/span>
Fair enough. So what did they find? <\/b><\/span>
1. People<\/span> in the weight-training group actually gained about 1.5 pounds and added a smidgen to their waistline<\/b><\/i><\/span>, without changing any of their other heart or diabetes risk factors.<\/span>
2. Those in the aerobic group lost an average of 3 pounds and half an inch from their waists<\/b><\/i>.<\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Study participants who did both weight and aerobic training dropped about 4 pounds and 1 waistline inch<\/b><\/i>. They also saw a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure reading) and in a “metabolic syndrome” score that reflects combined heart and diabetes risk factors.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Here’s What Makes It Squishy<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Statistical analyses showed that participants doing both aerobics PLUS weight training didn’t necessarily have better outcomes than those who just did ONLY aerobic training.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers said it wasn’t clear if the apparent tiny, marginal benefits of the combination regimen — the 4-pound weight loss versus 3, for instance — were due to the effects of weight training, or just more total time in the gym<\/b><\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
Duh. More time being active = more benefit. Why is this rocket science? <\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span>
But the researchers are pushing the combined approach anyway. <\/span><\/span>“Aerobic plus resistance is clearly the optimal program<\/i>,” said Dr. Timothy Church, who studies exercise and disease at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.<\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
Bottom Line? <\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
The best exercise for your heart is whatever you do that makes you move, and gives you the most pleasure doing so, for the most consistent period of time. <\/span><\/div>\n
They should have just asked me before they had to go and do this study \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n

What’s the best exercise for heart health? | Reuters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Will<\/a>\"Will<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower’s website. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it cardio or resistance? Yoga or Pilates? Walking or Running?Paper or Plastic? Cash or Credit? Here or To Go?  This Study (bit.ly\/on9sNn) from the American Journal of Cardiology  determined that you need a little … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494],"tags":[273,325],"class_list":["post-2038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-exercise","tag-heart-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-wS","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11183,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11183","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":0},"title":"The 1 Thing As Powerful as Exercise for Improving Mental Health","author":"Will Clower","date":"March 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Great research science on the factors that can improve mental health and our measures of \"quality of life\". This one is on par with exercise.","rel":"","context":"In "Activity"","block_context":{"text":"Activity","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=528"},"img":{"alt_text":"Happy woman dancing in kitchen while cleaning","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Happy-Woman-Dancing-while-cleaning-kitchen-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Happy-Woman-Dancing-while-cleaning-kitchen-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Happy-Woman-Dancing-while-cleaning-kitchen-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Happy-Woman-Dancing-while-cleaning-kitchen-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Happy-Woman-Dancing-while-cleaning-kitchen-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2043,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2043","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":1},"title":"Ladies: Exercise Can Reverse Bad Behavior … Even Lying","author":"Will Clower","date":"July 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Everyone knows that regular physical activity -- even walking -- is good for your brain, and can turn back the clock on your abilities.\u00a0A study this week included 2,809 women over the age of 65. They also had a history of heart disease or stroke, or at least three risk\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-p5vNvJ3zU-c\/TirruQtppSI\/AAAAAAAADPw\/BlHFM6nvk30\/s320\/BrainPower.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8994,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=8994","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":2},"title":"The Prevention Myth","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Headlines are often just click-bait, asking leading questions to get you to click the link. Here are some examples that you can find literally every day. Can the Mediterranean Diet Prevent Cancer? Can regular exercise defy diabetes? Can the latest miracle drug, or cure, or cocoa, or fill-in-the-blank prevent depression?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flipping wooden cubes for change wording from \"fact\" to \"fake\".","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Wooden-Cubes-say-Fact-or-Fake.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Wooden-Cubes-say-Fact-or-Fake.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Wooden-Cubes-say-Fact-or-Fake.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Wooden-Cubes-say-Fact-or-Fake.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Wooden-Cubes-say-Fact-or-Fake.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15671,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=15671","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":3},"title":"Connection Is Good For Your Heart","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"February is best known for Valentine\u2019s Day, but it\u2019s also Heart Health Month\u2014making it a perfect time to explore how emotional connection supports physical wellbeing. When we think about heart health, we often focus on cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or exercise\u2014and those things absolutely matter. But so does something that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"kindness heart happy winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2118,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2118","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":4},"title":"This week … it’s all about your heart. Exercise good for heart and mind.","author":"Will Clower","date":"April 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Consistent lifelong exercise preserves heart muscle in the elderly to levels that match or even exceed that of healthy young sedentary people, a surprising finding that underscores the value of regular exercise training, according to a new study.The first study to evaluate the effects of varying levels of lifelong exercise\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HMKWn5l6QzQ\/TZng3Ck5DaI\/AAAAAAAADB0\/pCrmSyxGGUE\/s320\/exercise-heart.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5997,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=5997","url_meta":{"origin":2038,"position":5},"title":"Enough Is Enough, But How Much Is That?","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I was going to write a big long post about overdoing exercise, it's potential bad effects on your heart, and just the impossibility of keeping up with that unless you're already Joe Athlete. So in stead, I just thought I'd answer the basic questions. If you're not running marathons, completing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Activity"","block_context":{"text":"Activity","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=528"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/yoga.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3033,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038\/revisions\/3033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}