Spotted an interesting article today with the headline; Lifting weights ‘good as running’ . As a runner, it is nothing new to read that exercise other than just running is good, we are constantly reminded to work on our core and upper body. This study is focused upon the impact upon an individuals metabolism from resistance training with the observation that for it could be particularly useful for older people who may have trouble with endurance exercise, and that could be particularly satisfying because the effects of resistance training appear very quickly.

However, it should never be forgotten that studies like this are simply the outcome of research that may have followed just one perspective. I later noticed another article that claimed drinking 500ml of beetroot juice a day may significantly lower blood pressure. Can you really imaging drinking that much beet juice? I recall many years nearly passing out with fear as I relieved myself because I thought the red color of my pee might be an internal hemorrhage, until I remembered the plate of beets I had eaten! The concluding paragraph of this article though did contain a more balanced view point (no pun intended).

Although we know that eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables as part of a well balanced diet is beneficial to heart health, we do not know yet whether there are certain fruits or vegetables that are more helpful than others and so for now, people should continue to choose a wide variety in achieving their five a day.

I suppose that whether it is training or eating, the thing to remember is that variety really is the spice of life.