Whether your priority is to banish stubborn belly fat or sculpt toned legs that’ll carry you far in a marathon, we all exercise to reach the same goal: to create a body that we’re proud of. But is there a particular form you should be going for? Is it better to be skinny or strong, or both?

Needless to say, becoming either slimmer or stronger both have their benefits. If you’re getting slimmer, you’ll become more agile, less prone to ailments such as heart disease and depression and enjoy increased confidence. If you’re getting stronger, you’ll similarly feel more competent, in tune with your body and will even drop fat faster.

However, while there are no real setbacks to becoming stronger, you have to be a little more careful in getting slimmer.

This is because once you’ve reached a healthy BMI and have lost all your excess fat, losing weight and becoming even smaller could then signify you’re losing muscle mass and water: both vital to your body’s overall health. Therefore, focusing on losing weight is only useful up until a point, whereas getting stronger and maintaining a toned body will keep you healthy and in form indefinitely.