Episode 436: Tara LaFerrara: Why Strength Training Beats Cardio for Women's Long-Term Health

Are cardio workouts or strength training better for women? Fitness coach Tara settles this ongoing debate in this Fitness Friday episode on the Habits and Hustle Podcast. We discuss why cardio, despite its mental clarity benefits, can lead to increased hunger and calorie consumption, while strength training increases resting metabolic rate through muscle development. We also dive into Tara's personal journey from HIIT workouts to strength training, the mindset shift required to make this transition, and her minimalist approach to supplements, focusing primarily on protein and creatine for optimal results. Tara LaFerrara is a certified strength and mobility coach who transformed personal struggles with body image and unhealthy habits into a mission to help women approach fitness from a holistic perspective. With 13 years of industry experience, she advocates for sustainable, enjoyable movement rather than strict regimens, empowering clients through her app Broadzit and virtual training programs. Tara specializes in a well-rounded approach to fitness that combines strength training expertise with mindset coaching, emphasizing community support and individual needs. What we discuss: Why strength training is superior to cardio for women's longevity The mental clarity paradox of cardio vs. its impact on hunger How increased muscle mass elevates resting metabolic rate The aesthetic differences between "cardio bodies" vs. "strength training bodies" Making the transition from cardio to strength training The importance of patience and growth mindset during lifestyle changes Supplement recommendations: creatine benefits and proper dosage Protein intake strategies for muscle development Thank you to our sponsor: Therasage: Head over to therasage.com http://therasage.com/ and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com http://truniagen.com/ and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www http://www/.magicmind.com http://magicmind.com//jen and use code Jen at checkout. Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com http://airdoctorpro.com/ and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here https://bio.me/?utm_source=Jennifer, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. Momentous: Shop this link https://www.livemomentous.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorDUIZz3psr1Qsq_n1yE8_6JTq_QUFabOO9lH65HDEXCIoJOPLj and use code Jen for 20% off To learn more about Tara LaFerrara: Website: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara Podcast: Broads: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/broads-the-bold-badass-fitness-podcast-for-women/id1710024779 Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Hi guys, this is Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

• 0:07Jen Cohen?

  Hey friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle Podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up.

• 0:30Jen Cohen?

  Okay, what's your opinion, and I know it already, you don't even have to tell me, but I'm going to ask you anyway, cardio versus strength training for women?

• 0:40Speaker 02

  Strength training is always queen in my book. I'm not saying don't do cardio. I just recorded a podcast recently on this. Do cardio if it feels good, if you like it, if you enjoy it, awesome. Strength training is so much more valuable for women as we age, and I would highly recommend doing that over cardio. However, is cardio great for your heart health and multitude of other reasons? Absolutely. But you can get that without sitting on the stairmaster for 30 minutes or going out for a run when you don't like it.

• 1:12Jen Cohen?

  But the other thing about, well, the thing with me with cardio is I feel better after I do cardio because you sweat more. Also for my cognitive, for your mental health, for your brain to like, for my brain to like really kind of activate, I need to do cardio. The downside of doing cardio is that I get so hungry and I end up eating triple the calories that I would otherwise not have had because of the amount of calories burnt, right? So there's like this like weird balance that you have to do, right? Like you have to constantly balance out, like if I do really intense cardio, not just me, when people do really intense cardio, they tend to eat a lot more. So how do you,

• 1:56Jen Cohen?

  how do you kind of rectify this problem, right? Like, don't do cardio so that you won't eat as much, because that's what happens too. If I don't do my cardio, I definitely won't eat as much. I won't be as hungry.

• 2:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, I think this is twofold. The first thing is with cardio, are you doing it because you truly enjoy it? Or are you doing it because you're more chasing the sweat?

• 2:15Jen Cohen?

  Chasing the sweat.

• 2:17Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 2:17Jen Cohen?

  Yeah. And like I said, it's also better, it's better for my brain. Like if, uh, cause when I do strength training without doing cardio, I don't sweat very much, like maybe a little bit. And it doesn't like, my brain doesn't like get activated. Like I'm not as like sharp afterwards. Like I'll be better than if I didn't do anything.

• 2:38Speaker 02

  Right.

• 2:38Jen Cohen?

  But to me, the combo of doing cardio plus strength training in the same workout is like the king. If I had, when I have to choose one or the other, even though I know intellectually, strength training is better for me in terms of my body composition. If I have, I only have time for one, I'll always go with cardio because I know that I'll make better choices during the day because of it. A lot of times like, you know, I'll eat healthier food because I like, my brain is activated better. My mood is so much better. My energy levels are so much better. Yes, I'll eat 20 times more, but it'll be healthy food. But it's more for all the mental health issues with them.

• 3:23Speaker 02

  Have you ever tried, you don't have to do this, but switching out that high intensity cardio with like a long walk outside?

• 3:30Jen Cohen?

  Yes, I do that all the time too. So I, yes, but like I, I, I don't do the high intensity cardio like I used to because I also think it like ruins your adrenals and my cortisol level goes sky high. So again, it's like everybody's different, but for, and then I, I end up eating way more. So for me, moderate cardio, like moderate pace, I should say, works the best.

• 3:58Speaker 02

  Yeah. So again, I'm not telling you not to do cardio. I just want you to look at it in a way that like, what is better for your longevity? And it's always going to be strength training. If we think about eating or just calories alone, the more muscle you have, the more you are burning calories at rest. So I am always going to be burning a shit ton more calories at rest because I have so much muscle. And if you're looking at it from that perspective, I'm like, oh, I can actually eat more because my BMR is higher because I have more muscle mass. So if you want to just even like shift that perspective.

• 4:34Jen Cohen?

  It's so hard though, right? Like we, I think a lot of us know, a lot of women know this already, right? Like people have been talking about the muscle is like the, it's how you stay, you know, healthy for as long as possible. Strength training is the king. We all know it intellectually. How do you and how do we switch our brains to actually basically execute on that and, and, and kind of like steer away from the cardio?

• 5:00Speaker 02

  When was the last time you had to make a big change?

• 5:04Jen Cohen?

  Today.

• 5:06Speaker 02

  What did you do?

• 5:08Jen Cohen?

  I switched from one type of recording system to another for my podcast. I mean, and I hated it. And it's like, very uncomfortable.

• 5:17Speaker 02

  It's annoying. It's uncomfortable. It makes you angry. You hate it. It sucks. But guess what? In a month or two or three or four, you're going to feel so much better that you switched to something else.

• 5:29Jen Cohen?

  I hope so.

• 5:29Speaker 02

  And that's the thing. I think that's, that's so hard when you're switching that mindset or change. Mindset, you know, is something that we, that's ingrained in us. There is a story that was told to us. Someone said something, society tells us this thing for decades of our life. And you can't expect to just make that switch overnight. So if you are someone that's like, gosh, yeah, I know it. I know it. I have to change it. But like, how am I going to change that? That is the basic difference of growth versus fixed mindset. I know it. I think, I think I can change it, but I can't change it. So if you don't have that like growth mindset in mind, in three months down the road, you're still going to feel crummy about the situation. But if you know you can stick in the crumminess or like, God, this is hard.

• 6:12Speaker 02

  It's not working. I'm not seeing the sweat. Nothing's changing for three months. And then step out of it and be like, oh, I have more energy. I feel better about my body. I can work out less because I'm strength training. That is going to be how you actually make that shift. It's not going to happen overnight.

• 6:31Jen Cohen?

  Were you a cardio queen before?

• 6:33Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah.

• 6:34Jen Cohen?

  Okay.

• 6:34Speaker 02

  I used to do HIIT training six to seven days a week, all the time, all through my twenties.

• 6:39Jen Cohen?

  And then? And then what happened? Why did you make the, did you shift it because you knew better? Or that you learned more? You got more educated? What was the reason?

• 6:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, great question. Now I work out four times a week, strength training. I maybe do a cardio session here and there, but it's more just to be around people and in a class. But I got into it because I had more education behind it. I, I saw my strength increase and I saw how much HIIT was hindering every other part of my life, HIIT and cardio training. So I noticed my sleep was better when I didn't do it as much. I noticed my skin was clearing up. I had more energy. I wasn't going for coffee at, at 3:00 PM every day. I, it was like a, a constant even keel. My memory was better and I didn't have to work nearly as hard. So I had this like seven day a week of cardio and then slowly start to peel back. But it was really like COVID 2020 time where I was like, why did I do that for so long?

• 7:30Jen Cohen?

  I know. I swear, I, I, I, yeah, I, I, people say that to me all the time. And, um, and I've seen it. I've seen results where the cardio body versus the weight training body, so different. Like the cardio body is like, kind of like flabby and like skinny soft. And the person who just does weights and kind of stays away from cardio, honestly, is like really like toned and fit looking and athletic looking. It just, just in terms of just like, if we're just talking vanity, it just is so much better.

• 8:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, the aesthetics is, is huge, obviously. And that's a lot of reason why people like get into fitness, right? They want to look better.

• 8:12Jen Cohen?

  Yeah.

• 8:13Speaker 02

  But for me personally, like I never got into strength training to change my body. It was just solely about feeling better and not having, having to work as hard in the gym.

• 8:23Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, that's a great reason, by the way.

• 8:25Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 8:26Jen Cohen?

  Do you take supplements? Do you believe in supplements? Which ones do you, if you do, which ones are you?

• 8:31Speaker 02

  Yeah, I really only take protein and creatine. I think that there's a lot of supplements on the market that are mostly BS and they just want your money. And it's a billion dollar industry and they're going to sell you in market. Yeah, yeah. And it's not going to go away anytime soon. So I always take supplements that, you know, feel best for me. I'm going to try things, but I just feel like most of the things that we can get in our food, we can stay away from with supplements.

• 8:59Jen Cohen?

  So creatine is an interesting one, right? Because creatine, everyone knows creatine as a kind of like a male supplement. But there's the most researched supplement on the planet. And the, the, the research I've seen is incredible for your cognitive benefits that you're getting with creatine. But women are still very frightened of taking it. And, you know, the truth is like, it kind of could bloat you if you take too much. Cause that's one of the complaints. Do you not find that happens with you?

• 9:32Speaker 02

  Not me personally. And I will say, like, if somebody is feeling that way, they can go back to like a prescribed is three to five grams daily. I personally have always taken five just because it has sat well for me. Also, it depends on the label, depends on who, where you're getting the creatine from. You want like the purest form of monohydrate. Some of them have some sort of sugars or other natural flavorings to make it taste better. But if you know you're someone that, you know, gets some bloating with it, I would just go for like the most basic kind and you'll be fine. But I would say, yeah, you start, start lower, start at three grams instead of five grams daily.

• 10:09Jen Cohen?

  And what, what do you, what have you seen the benefits of creatine? Have you taken creatine? I've done.

• 10:16Speaker 02

  The recovery is night and day difference. I'm barely sore anymore at all. I do feel like it's helped the memory and cognition and then sleep. I mean, sleep's been a huge thing for me recently, over the past couple of years to just get that locked down. And I, there's been a couple of other things that I've done that have helped that. I do feel like creatine is a big piece of that as well.

• 10:35Jen Cohen?

  Really?

• 10:36Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:36Jen Cohen?

  How about magnesium for sleep?

• 10:37Speaker 02

  I personally don't need it. I'm thankful enough where I, I, I sleep well without it. But I do feel like that, that could be a great supplement to try if you are someone that might need a little sleep aid.

• 10:50Jen Cohen?

  So in terms of protein, are you, are you a protein shake person? Or are you more of an animal protein? Like what do you, what's your take on that?

• 10:57Speaker 02

  Protein.

• 10:58Jen Cohen?

  Oh.

• 10:58Speaker 02

  Yeah. So I, I do take a protein powder once a day typically. Maybe sometimes twice a day if I need extra. But I usually put it first thing in the morning in a smoothie, overnight oats or yogurt. Just so I know I'm getting an extra 25 or 30 grams there. I do eat meat though, so I get a lot of my protein source from meat and fish as well.

• 11:18Jen Cohen?

  So you eat everything basically?

• 11:20Speaker 02

  I do now, yeah.