Why Cardio Is Holding You Back (& What To Do Instead)

It has taken me a few years to get to where I am today: Healthy and Happy. So I'd like to share with you something I wish I had known a few years back.

I was always active and played competitive soccer from a young age. I was never overweight, but in my late teenage years I thought I could lose a few pounds and of course, wanted to have a 6 pack. I said to myself: I need to lose weight. I want to be skinny. I want to be fit. 

So naturally what did I do? I hit the treadmill!

And when I say "hit the treadmill", boy did I hit it. 6 days a week, at least 45 minutes a day. And then after every cardio session I would end it with a 15 minute Ab workout. I was on a roll and felt like if I could keep up with my cardio workouts, pretty soon I'd have the dream body.

You know the people who leisurely workout on the cardio machines while reading a book or talking on their phone? Are you one of them? If you are, it's okay. That was me too. But don't let that fool you. I had all the motivation in the world, but just not the right guidance. I was looking at magazines that said you have to burn more calories than you consume and that cardio would give me the fastest results and fat blast I wanted. Since the cardio machines show how many calories you burn, it was a perfect fit! I never even second guessed what I read in popular fitness magazines, and just assumed I should listen to them.

Then there was My Fitness Pal. The smartphone app that tracks your daily diet and exercise to determine optimal nutrients and caloric intake for your goals. Fitness Pal? Yeah, okay. They should call it My Fitness Enemy. This thing actually drove me insane. Every morsel of food that went in my mouth I tracked. You think I'm kidding? Down to a stick of gum. But everyone was using this app so I thought I should be too! So in went the diet info and calories I burned from my workouts.

I thought these things would make me healthy and fit but instead they actually made me crazy, loose all my lean muscle, and the very opposite of what I wanted. But luckily, in the spring semester of my freshman year in college I took a course to become a certified gym instructor to teach ab, bootcamp, and strength classes. Slowly but surely I learned the way the body worked and why doing 1,000 crunches a day and doing an hour of cardio 6 days a week was doing more harm to my body than good. It certainly didn't happen over night, but I eventually traded in the treadmill for a pair of dumbbells & high intensity interval training, and they became my new best friends. And most importantly, I learned that my goal should be strong, not skinny.

By no means am I saying that cardio is bad. Cardio definitely helps with weight loss and protects you against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholestrol. What I want you to know is that to be healthy, to be fit, the treadmill/ elliptical are not always the answer.  There are 2 common cardio myths that I want to debunk so you can understand why steady-state cardio based workouts might be holding you back from achieving your fitness goals!

Myths:

1. You Need To Do A Lot Of Cardio To Lose Weight

An hour on the treadmill every day will not make you a lean & mean sexy machine. Long cardio sessions actually work against you! This is because when you workout, your body releases cortisol, which when released for a prolonged time creates insulin resistance, a decrease in bone density, loss of lean muscle mass, and weight gain. AND WHO WANTS ANY OF THAT? 

2. Steady State- Cardio Is The Most efficient form of exercise.

In terms of getting in shape, steady- state cardio is definitely not the most efficient form of exercise. Running at the same pace will not get you anywhere, literally.Cardio does burn more calories that strength training during your workout, but strength training and high intensity interval training torches more fat overall. It's very simple. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn.

So, if steady- state cardio is not always the best way to go then what is? High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) & Weight Training!

• HIIT: HIIT burns 3 times the amount of fat in half the exercise time.You work hard for a short amount of time, followed by a short bit of recovery time. Studies show that bursts of high intensity training increase the fat burning potential of muscle, improve the efficiency with which the body burns fat, and is a more time efficient strategy when it comes to fat burning exercise. Try running on the treadmill for 20-25 minutes alternating between a sprint and a slow jog (45 seconds on, 15 seconds off) or try out this workout or this one instead of your regular cardio routine. 

• Weight Training: Lifting weights boosts your metabolism,improves bone density, helps the body burn more calories throughout the day, and promotes fat-free body mass. Don't be intimidated by the weight section, just jump right in!!

More than anything, I want you to be the happiest and healthiest version of you. You are special and you deserve to live in a body that is strong, confident and filled with energy. If your current workout is not showing you the results you want, make a change. Today, here, NOW. No one said 3 hours of cardio a day was the answer. In fact, no one can give you the answer except YOU. Know your body, know the facts behind certain workouts, and know that you are in charge and that you are beautiful no matter what!

Treat your body with the love it deserves,

Lauren