Health Tips

Losing weight? So, should you get out your running shoes, or cut down on calories? Which one is guaranteed to wave away the pounds and produce that slim, look-at-me figure we all want?

Ten years ago there was no contest – diets (and very restrictive diets they were, too) were all that were available but now, in the light of modern research, that’s all changing.

People who are naturally slim are nearly always people who are active, either with physical jobs or those ‘always on the go’. People who are not naturally slim – well, they tend to be people who prefer less active roles and spend more time sitting or choosing less active options.

OK, problem solved! The more active you are: the slimmer you are!

Sadly, it doesn’t quite work that way because your body will work to keep you at your present weight by making you eat more. But there is a trick to help you.

Use a calorie controlled diet, which requires a bit of will power and loses weight slowly, and exercise at the same time. Now you will still lose weight but you will lose it faster and, as a bonus, firm your body as you go.

The vital part is to get the balance right. Most calorie controlled diets are designed to work with moderate exercise so remember the two ‘don’ts’. Don’t exercise too hard, don’t diet too much – keep them both in moderation and your body will both slim and firm.

So, which is best, diet or exercise? Well, they both are, it’s the way you balance them that makes it all work.