This is a scientific discovery that may well end up getting filed under 'D' for 'duh', but apparently you can lose weight by working out!
The study, performed by the eggheads at Harvard School of Public Health, showed that men who did 20 minutes of weight training had less belly fat than those who did the same amount of aerobic exercise such as cycling or swimming.
They looked at the waistline and the physical activity levels of 10,500 men aged over 40 across a 12-year period and found that pumping iron had the biggest effect on their waistlines, compared to other forms of exercise. Increasing the amount of exercise time a day by just 20 minutes, the men who were lifting weights saw that their BMI stayed lower than those who "similarly increased the amount of time they spent on moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise". Those who increased the amount of time they watched TV, surprisingly, ended up gaining more weight.
In another shocking discovery, the study found that the best course of action was to combine both cardio and weight training for best results. Sure you never would have guessed, would you?
Dr Rania Mekary, the lead author of the study, said that measuring the waistline of men was a good indicator of healthy aging, and that "engaging in resistance training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass".
Via The Daily Mail
