Stay active TT

THE EDITOR: Crime is rampant. But let's not forget about other killers like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The hospitals are filled, and one of the reasons for that is because people have neglected to exercise daily. Another tragedy is people don't know the most effective way to lose those unwanted calories.

Why do people drive to the gym to walk or run on a treadmill for an hour?

The problem with regular and lots of cardio such as treadmill use is that once our body gets adapted to the relatively low intensity of this activity, it becomes extremely difficult to burn calories with time.

I am a certified fitness trainer and I have discovered that you can burn more calories by doing ten to fifteen minutes on the treadmill and then going to the weight area to do resistance training. In the weight room you can do resistance and strength training for about thirty minutes and burn more calories than running aimlessly on a treadmill.

The reason why many gyms have treadmills that don't work is because the treadmills are overused and abused. Spending an hour on a treadmill doesn't make much sense to me plus it's boring and a waste of time. A serious businessman or person doesn't waste his or her time on unproductive pursuits.

Resistance and strength exercise is much more effective for overall health and fitness, burning calories and toning. If you must run, you can have a lot more fun running around the savannah. It has proven to be much more effective than running aimlessly and going nowhere on a treadmill. Running on the spot for a few minutes coupled with one hundred (100) jumping jacks and combined with weights has proven to be much more effective. Also by cutting down time spent on the treadmill in the gym allows other people to use the treadmill so that there are no long lines to use it especially around peak times.

SIMON WRIGHT, Chaguanas