Today's myth is going to be "Cardio is the answer to lose weight, get toned, lose inches, yadda yadda yadda"
so, as you have guessed by me writing this, this is a myth. Cardio is NOT the answer. Cardio is one piece to the puzzle, albeit minor.
So then, ladies and germs, what is the answer to "why won't cardio make me thin?" or "why isn't my cardio working? I'm running/walking/roller blading a lot"
Well, here it is.
Your body, as it is, has probably not seen any change in a long time. sure, you strap on your runners (probably dusty, old, or brand new) and head outside or to the fitness equipment piece of your choice. some things happen. you sweat. a lot. then you lose something around the lines of 2-10, maybe even 15 lbs. then.... nothing. so you do some more cardio... nothing. you do harder cardio (incline, running) and... nothing. why?
your body is much, much smarter than you. without cleaning up nutrition, and giving it some stimulus to hold muscle, its going to drop the muscle first, and save the fat.
your body has NO IDEA why you're running/walking/cardioing. it thinks its being chased. so, having the exact same nutrition program that you were on, your body adapts by ditching the muscle you have (little or great amounts depending on how much you have to start)
so then it has shed that bit of weight. now what? the body has lowered your resting heart rate and RMR (how many calories you burn doing nothing) to adjust for this extra activity. what happens when you cardio harder? it drops even more. OR... you're probably no longer burning enough calories to offset the amount you're putting in. ever know someone, or been someone who has gone to the gym only to reward yourself with food x aka. pizza, ice cream, cake, booze etc? how does that make ANY sense? want to know how much calories you're burning while cardioing? not much. 300, MAYBE 500 MAXIMUM? if you're going crazy intense and for a long period of time, maybe.
also, without getting too far into a boring textbook rant, the body will burn as i said muscle first. ever seen someone with an eating disorder? they have skin like a cat... very stretchy. why? thats fat/water. are they weak as kittens as well? sure are. because..... their body has ditched the muscle and kept the fat. the body doesn't need the muscle, so it gets rid of it. Plus, muscle has a greater mass than fat. double reasons to ditch it first.
so, how should it be done, says you?
1) Clean up the eating. "but i eat clean" you cry out to me with tears in your eyes... Banana sandwich you do. that apple you had in the afternoon ain't gonna cut it. Hire someone (myself! shameless plug :D) to clean it up for you, and to have you adhere to it.
2) do some weights in the gym too. you know, that whole other half of the gym? with the scary dumbells, barbells, smartbells... okay I made that one up. yes. get a sound weight training routine by a well seasoned trainer (myself! second shameless plug!)
it does NOT require that much time, but it will require effort. progressive resistance (moving up in weight or reps every time you're in the gym) will yield the best results
this shows the body it needs to KEEP the muscle, not ditch it. so then... it has to get rid of the fat instead. (you will still lose muscle, but at least the amount is minimized). ladies, fat doesn't tone. muscle does.
3) make sure you're getting enough sleep. I'll post about this later
4) how stressful is life/job/everything? I've seen this kill a lot of weightloss clients.
SO there it is kids! the way around!
once you have the nutrition in place (its NOT THAT HARD TO CLEAN IT ALL UP!) and you start a weight training routine. these 2 simple things will enhance the cardio massively. also, DON'T GO CRAZY WITH THE CARDIO!
in the beginning, 3-4 days of 30 minutes of walking is MORE than enough! do not make your body lose its mind right off the bat!
I should hope I get LOTS of questions from this! post or email martymacphee@gmail.com !
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