June 19, 2022: Cardio

My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.

{Did you miss last week’s GYSTS email? No prob! Go here and scroll to the bottom for a complete archive of all GYSTS emails}

Cardio burns calories and it’s the main way to improve your endurance and cardio-respiratory health, and it’s excellent for overall well-being. But, what about weight loss? This week, we’re going to talk about whether cardio alone is enough for weight loss.

You Need a Well-Rounded Workout Routine

I have some bad news for you: You can’t just do cardio to lose weight. Okay, that might be great news for some of you cardio haters!

Yes, cardio does help you burn calories, but, ultimately, it’s not going to help you lose weight. In fact, it may make you “skinny” fat. Skinny fat means that you lose more lean muscle mass and weight—and less body fat—leaving you with a higher body fat percentage. And this isn’t good—especially if you’re looking to get lean and toned up.

Don’t get me wrong - cardio does have a place in your exercise program, since it does strengthen your cardiovascular system. It’s critical for overall health and wellness.

But when it comes to losing weight, it’s not the only thing you should be doing.

A well-rounded approach to fitness and losing excess fat includes both cardio AND strength training. Cardio does help you burn calories, however, the calorie burn stops the moment you stop walking or running. However, strength training leads to more lean muscle mass, which can stimulate your metabolism.

The faster your metabolism, the more body fat you’re going to lose, which is what we’re actually looking for when we say “weight loss.”

An Exception

This one’s for my cardio lovers: Interval training, also called HIIT training (high intensity interval training), may also be a key to losing weight. This is the type of training where you vary intensity. For example, you jog or walk briskly for 1 minute and walk at a moderate pace for 1 minute and repeat.

One benefit of HIIT training is that it helps you expend more calories 24 to 48 hours POST workout. This means you have a full day where your calorie expenditure may be higher, which could result in more weight loss. HIIT training also spares your muscle mass, so the calories that are burned usually come from your body fat.

A well-rounded exercise program, one that includes both cardio and strength training, is the best form of exercise to boost your weight loss.

Although cardio alone is a great way to burn excess calories, it may not be the best exercise if you’re looking to lose weight.

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about the best all-around nutrition plan that makes eating healthy simple.

Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.

Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!

I hope you have a wonderful week,

Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.

Tsirona - www.tsirona.com

My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.