Cardio - All you need to know!

The pros and cons of doing too much/only cardio!

If you’ve ever struggled with your weight you’ve likely used a variety of exercise methods to help.

Mainly the following:

Running, rowing, stairmaster or that aerobics class you love. These are seen by many as the key method to ‘burning off’ that undesirable extra layer that you have accumulated after say, Christmas or that two week all-inclusive in August!

Cardio is often the first port of call when we start at the gym and most of the time it’s the very first range of equipment that we see in there when we step inside.

So, it’s continuously embedded into our minds that cardio and the gym are the solution. Partly out of convenience. 

If you’re someone that’s already nervous about going to the gym, then it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to step past this initial space – to the dreaded weights area!

However…

There are distinct benefits you get from doing cardio and I will talk about them in this email... 

Is it always the best type of exercise for weight loss and can you do too much cardio?

Now, I’m going to assume that most people reading this are not following a strength training program. If you are, that’s great, you will still benefit from hearing about how cardio can be good for your weight loss journey and also how too much of it could have an adverse effect.

It could even STALL your weight loss!

And you don't want that...

Why you SHOULD be doing cardio when it comes to losing weight!

Energy Expenditure - Think weight loss!

Based on the laws of thermodynamics (energy in and energy out) when we perform  cardio we go into a state of energy output and as long as we eat accordingly...  cardio is one of the best methods to expedite your weight loss. You burn more off.

Improve sleep and brain function!

Who doesn’t want this? Everybody wants to feel more energetic and productive during the day. Cardio helps improve cognitive function and brain cell renewal becomes more efficient.

Because we are expending more energy throughout the day we are more likely to sleep better at night and it reduces the risk of sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.

Improves fitness and helps lower the risk of heart disease!

No doubt about it, when you’re on the treadmill repeatedly your body will adapt and it will improve your cardiovascular system. Everything will become more efficient and you'll likely see your blood pressure and cholesterol reduce.

So you can see the benefits of cardio. Don't cut it out. In fact it has so many amazing health benefits alongside aiding your weight loss - it is important that you supplement your workouts with some cardio. Especially if your goal is long-term health.

But… the caveat… some cardio can be too intense and if you’re doing it often without adequate recovery that can have adverse effects and actually do the opposite for your health…

Here are the cons of doing all cardio or too much cardio…

Overtraining!

I’m only talking about more intense forms of cardio -  like that Cardio Blast class that you often go to on a Saturday morning. If you were to work at that intensity for six days a week it may be too much and your body may not be recovering. This can lead to mental and physical exhaustion and it’s a form of stress on the body which could have long-term health effects if continued.

Muscle loss or an undesired body composition!

Cardio will put your body in a caloric deficit, hence the reason why you can end up losing weight. But once the bodies source of fuel is depleted from what you eat

Your body will use your muscles to become that fuel for the body to maintain the intense activity… you’re likely going to be on a calorie deficit to lose weight and then adding in the extra output with cardio will only increase the likelihood that you will burn muscle for fuel. Just be aware of this if you're aggressively at it with the exercise. Eat!

Fat retention!

Okay, this one flies in the face of the 'calories in calories out' model. Technically, when you burn off more than you consume you should lose weight. But, cardio could put your body under more stress and if you’re not recovering adequately through sleep and rest that stress could affect your metabolism eventually - and your body is more likely to hold onto fat.

If you’re somebody that is doing intense cardio but isn’t seeing a change the scale and you are definitely in a calorie deficit with your nutrition I suggest switching up your exercise and also slowing down the pace of your cardio as it may be too much stress on the body for it to settle and release - the fat you want to shift!

I know you’re probably wondering what the solution is and I just need to repeat that cardio is very  important for your weight loss journey but you can do too much too intensely. Think balance. Less is more etc!

Consider reducing your cardio to no more than 3 x 30 minute steady-state (where you could talk to someone while you doing it but still be out of breath) workouts per week and twice a week add some form of strength training.

If you’re unsure about what to do you could simply use that some of the pin loaded machines which are very easy to use or you could seek help from a member of staff the gym.

Like anything it’s important to mix things up a bit and we can have too much of a ‘good’ thing.

You know where I am if you need me :)


Paul x