Did you know that excess belly fat can cause changes in hormone levels that can potentially lead to changes in sexual desire and energy and increase the chances of infertility?
In a study, researchers found that participants who engaged in a regular weight training routine while cutting calories, lost more body fat and retained more muscle than the calorie restriction and walking group and the calorie restriction only group. Males and females were divided into three groups: The first group reduced their calorie intake by only 300 calories per day. The second group did brisk walking for 45 minutes, 4 days a week, in addition to reducing calorie intake. The third group lifted weights 4 days a week with a personal trainer and also reduced calories.
At 18 months, there were notable differences between each group. The calorie-restricted group only lost an average of 12 pounds each, two of which were muscle. The calorie restriction and the walking group lost an average of 20 pounds, four of which was from muscle mass. The final group, which cut calories and did strength training, also lost 20 pounds. But only two of those pounds were muscle loss. Although the walkers lost more muscle mass than the sedentary group, the walking group had increased leg strength at the end of the study, while the sedentary group showed no increase in strength.
The results of this study suggest that older adults who need to lose weight would be better off engaging in regular resistance training while reducing calorie intake to maximize muscle maintenance while reducing fat mass. Maintaining correct weight also benefits sexual health like erectile dysfunction and prevents you from taking ED medications such as Fildena 150 or Kamagra 100 even if you are above 60. In an ideal world, a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training would yield the most benefits. But if you have to choose one, strength training wins.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a member of a gym to do this. You can use your body weight as resistance by doing the following exercises:
- Pushups
- Pullups
- Squats
- Tricep
- Dips
- Lunges
