The study found the best training combination to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Exercise improves fat and sugar metabolism in everyone, whether overweight or not.
Thanks to regular exercise, for example, the risk of type 2 diabetes decreases and elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels decrease.
A study published in the European Heart Journal found the best combination for overweight hypertensive patients.
According to the study, their heart risks are reduced with a combination of endurance and muscle training.
The combination lowered blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, and lowered body fat percentage as much as exercise alone. Muscle training without conditioning did not have the same benefits.
Combining two forms of exercise is especially suitable if, for example, running is difficult due to a knee injury or other mobility restrictions. In this case, half of the fitness training can be replaced with strength training and the health benefits will not decrease.
400 overweight or obese hypertensive patients aged 35–70 participated in the year-long study.
They were divided into either an individually tailored fitness group, strength training, a combination of these, or a control group that did not increase exercise during the study.
Exercises were done three times a week for one hour at a time. The participants’ aerobic fitness, muscle strength and heart risk factors were investigated several times during the study.
Uutispalvelu Duodecim reported the results of the study.
Half of the fitness training can be replaced with strength training if, for example, there are problems with the knees. Adobe stock/AOP
How to start?
Sports medicine experts previously told Iltalehte how overweight people should start exercising and which are the most suitable sports.
Specialist in sports medicine Urho Kujala advised to start exercising calmly and according to fitness, for example in ten-minute intervals. Starting too hard has its dangers: knees and ankles can hurt and the heart can be strained.
– Strenuous exercise may seem unpleasant to someone who is not used to it, and then they don’t want to try it again, Kujala stated.
You should also forget going on the scale and putting on pounds. According to Kujala, measuring the waist circumference might be more encouraging to go on the scale.
According to Kujala, during the first month it often happens that even walking up the stairs is strength training for a very overweight person. Then it may be that no progress seems to have taken place when going on the scale, even though the fat has gone.
The weight loss rate of a kilo per month should not be underestimated.
– If the life change continues as it is, a lot of kilos will drop in the long run, Kujala reminded.
Starting with too much pressure can cause pain and cause the desire to move to be stunted in the beginning. Adobe stock/AOP
Diet included
If you want to lose more weight, you also need changes in your diet, reminded the sports medicine professor and specialist Heikki Tikkanen from the University of Eastern Finland. However, according to him, it is often better to start with one of the other, diet or exercise, and not do everything at once.
In terms of weight management, it is important that exercise is regular. Dieting not only reduces fat but also muscle mass, so regular exercise prevents the loss of muscle mass, and thus maintains functional capacity.
Experts recommend starting exercising with walking, joint-friendly swimming or cycling, or gym training. When exercise starts to become a routine, you can take other sports that you like.
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