Grapefruits vs Tangerines

Did you know that if you hold three grapefruits in one hand and three tangerines in the other,  the grapefruits are about the same size as 5 pounds of fat and the tangerines about the size of 5 pounds of muscle? Do you want another reason to go to the gym? Or get moving? Here are two.

This week researchers found that the more people sit the greater the risk of having calcium deposits in the arteries of their heart. Southwestern University in Dallas, Texas has shown that each additional hour of being sedentary increases arterial calcification by 12%. Dr Amit Khera, Director of the Preventative Cardiology Program has shown that sedentary behaviour was an independent risk factor, regardless of whether you exercise, have diabetes, or high blood pressure, sitting is a risk factor. 

So why go to the gym if getting up and moving regularly will help prevent heart disease? Researchers at UCLA have found that even if you already have heart disease, having more muscle as opposed to fat, lowers your mortality risk.  Emphasizing the fact that it is not so much what you weigh that is important for your health, but what you’re made of or how much muscle you have, that is important. The only way to gain and retain muscle is exercise and the best way to keep your muscles strong is resistance training. Don’t stop exercising and move a little during the day, it is good for your heart.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla