Should I do cardio for fat loss?
Our bodies where designed to move, that's a fact. And as much as cardio is linked to weight loss this may just be another wrong perception.
You don’t need to do more than an hour or two of cardio per week (yes - per week) when you want to lose weight. When we talk about weight loss, we mean particularly losing fat rather than muscle mass. There are other - more effective and less time-consuming ways in receiving your fitness goals.
What is Cardio?
Literally - a cardiovascular exercise. It is a light to moderate form of exercise that raises your heart rate. Your heart is a muscle, along with other muscles used during a cardio, these are being strengthened. Cardio should be performed for an extended period of time without stopping, hence cardio is most commonly associated with weight loss.
...but it that true?
Benefits:
- Improves cardiovascular health and strengthens the heart
- Improves circulation
- Lowers Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
- Decrease the risk of osteoporosis
- Reduces Stress & Depression
- Keep muscle strength in check
- Boosts energy
- Strengthens Lungs
Cardio workouts:
- walking
- running
- swimming
- rowing
- jumping rope
- circuit training
- cycling
Should I do cardio for fat loss?
Honestly no, you do not need to do cardio to lose fat. Intense cardio workout can burn not only fat but also your muscles. Not to mentions that cardio is likely to increase your appetite and you may struggle losing any fat at all. For people who have a larger amount of fat to lose, initially cardio might be the best option as well as in preventing injuries. With that said, if you want to maximise your fat loss, cardio can certainly help.
What can I do to lose fat?
- adjust your eating habits
- focus on body weight exercises
- introduce resistance training
While cardio is great for the health, can be helpful but it is not necessary for fat loss. What does however, play an important role are your eating habits. A good eating plan is what can help to melt the extra fat away. With your precision, keeping a track of what and when you eat, and making adjustments where needed, you have everything you need for a successful weight loss.
By setting up a quality eating and workout plan, you can easily reach your fat loss goals in no time. A great workout plan (free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and your own body weight) should be designed to help you build lean muscle, become leaner, stronger and more toned thanks to a combination of weighted resistance and body weight exercises. These exercise will also speed up your metabolism, increase muscle strength by making your muscles work against a weight or a force.
Once your muscle tissue increases, so does your metabolism. Muscles can actually contribute to fat burning (even while resting). As an example: 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories.