I recently had the chance to interview Tara Ballard, a self described “recovering run-a-holic/cardio queen” and fellow Metabolic Effect Personal Trainer. Her company, Prime Life Fit, focuses on aging youthfully. She states the following on her site www.primelifefit.com:
The truth is we have SO much control about how well we age. We like to blame genetics for certain things, but even with seemingly “bad” genes, there is still much that we can do to add quality life to our years.
I will tell you what WON’T help, and that is crash dieting, long cardio sessions, telling yourself you’re not “good enough”, and basically stressing yourself out.
And trust me, I know this from experience. I lived the above life for many years, and was pretty doggone miserable. Not to mention what was happening internally. I actually was put on osteoporosis meds for awhile in my early 30′s before I wised up and realized something had to change.
During our interview, I had the opportunity to ask Tara about her perspective on fitness, nutrition and aging.
What is the biggest complaint that you hear about exercising and how do you respond?
“I don’t have time to exercise” seems to be what I hear most. I then introduce them to the Metabolic Effect way of training, and/or to my members-only site where the shortest workout is 5 minutes, and the longest is 25. I have never had anyone say they couldn’t squeeze in a 5 minute workout.
(From Dr. Page: I think that this is the biggest misconception about exercise. It doesn’t need to be an hour long session in order to see the benefits. Squeezing in just 5 minutes is the perfect place to start for some people).
What type of exercise gives you the biggest “bang for your buck”?
I am a huge fan of Metabolic Effect workouts (www.metaboliceffect.com). Using heavier weights, along with “hybrid” exercises (combining two exercises into one; for example, a squat with an overhead shoulder press) elicits a wonderful metabolic response in a very short amount of time (20 to 30 minutes).
Which is more important- diet or exercise? If someone could only do diet OR exercise, which should they focus on and why?
Definitely nutrition! I have clients who don’t exercise at all, save for light walking, but because their nutrition is in check most of the time, they feel and look great. I think we have all heard the phrase, “you can’t out train a bad diet”, and this is absolutely true. You must get the inside right first.
Is there a type of exercise that you recommend for peri-menopausal women?
Typically, when women who are peri-menopausal contact me, it’s because what once worked for fat loss just isn’t working anymore. They notice loss of muscle, increased belly fat and slower recovery from exercise. It becomes imperative in these cases to reduce stress on the body as much as possible, while maintaining muscle and basic functionality. As such, I usually recommend 3 days of shorter, heavier weight training sessions coupled with lots of leisure walking, and (depending on the person), one short sprint session per week. This combination helps to maintain muscle, keeps stress hormones in check and aids in fat loss.
You can find more about Tara Ballard and aging youthfully at www.primelifefit.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PrimeLifeFit