So what form of exercise should you be priorotising for overall health??
Without a doubt the answer to that is strength and resistance training and when you look at the facts it's just obvious.
Many people don't have much spare time on their hands to spend on exercising and resistance training will give you the most bang for your buck. If you only have 3 hours spare in your week to exercise then you should be spending it trying to gain more muscle. This will in turn make you burn more calories at rest (Increase your metabolic rate) ....... Think about that ...... Burn more calories whilst resting ....... No brainer right?
As we get older Muscle will naturally deteriorate so again anything to slow down this process has got to be a good thing hasn't it?
The greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death…rather than worrying about weight…we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass.” ― Dr. Arun Karlamangla
With building muscle you are also going to strengthen tendons and ligaments around your joints meaning you are reducing the risk of many injuries which could occur in simple tasks in day to day life like doing your house work or changing your wheel on your car due to a puncture.
I'm not saying cardio is pointless and don't do it. But if you have limited time on your hands to exercise then resistance training should be your priority.
How do I eat for overall health?
Now in theory this is simple. Eat less calories or the same calories as you are burninig in every day life and your weight will be stable. However it's not always that simple with all the sugary temptations and conveneince food out there.
My top tip for keeping your nutrition on track is to priorotise protein in your diet. Linking it to what we said above, Protein will help you build muscle, which in turn increases the amount of calories you are burning at rest.
So with each meal you consume try and make protein the priority on the plate (as pictured above) This is not just because of it's muscle building effects but also because of the Thermic effect of protein. In simple terms it will make you feel fuller for longer and also keep your blood sugars stable. This will reduce the cravings for sugary junk food.
Hope this helps :)