Why bother with cardio?

lauralikes

IMO, cardio is the best!!! it's a great way to kill time and take your mind off of food, it suppresses your appetite for a good hour, it releases endorphins and boosts self-confidence. I have a huge list on my wall and i read it every time I go work out!

emergencytennis

I lost the majority of my weight just by adjusting my diet. I barely exercise, and for a year, all the exercise I EVER did was a 15 minute walk with my dogs. Contrary to chicken little's predictions, I did not lose all my muscles, and I did keep on losing.

I now do elliptical because it's easier to create a calorie deficit by burning rather than restricting now. And it feels good to get all sweaty.

Me too. I played tennis twice a week lifted twice a week and to lose weight I ate less pies et al.

emergencytennis

After I had my first baby I was only exercising. Didn't change my diet. Didn't lose a pound. My doctor told me if I wasn't going to change what I ate to not even bother with the exercise. I can't say I totally agree with this but he had a good point. I do believe food is the main contributor to losing. God I hope I spelled contributor correct

Sista. And yes.

emergencytennis

To get fit! Short on time, do a harder workout and burn about the same calories as a lighter workout twice as long.
And I don't mind being able to eat more because of it either.

Your answer is about weight loss, not about fitness. Weight loss depends far more upon what you eat than what you do.

emergencytennis

How many of these threads can there be each week? 100? 200?

you mean the "why do I have to work to lose weight?" threads?

My question was not about why do I have to work to lose weight. It was about why do I have to kill myself with cardio. Can't I just eat a calorie deficit and lift weights?

patriciaachish

why bother with huge amounts of huffing and puffing on the cross-trainer? Can't we just eat healthy, lift some weights and jog a couple of times a week?

because compared to jogging a couple of times a week than huffing and puffing on the cross trainer, you'll lose fat much faster with that than doing the latter...

eating healthy wont burn your fats, it'll just maintain your fat levels and not add more... therefore you need more cardio if you've got lots of fats to burn and a little bit of weights and lots of protein to make up for the minimal wasted muscle...

patriciaachish

why do I have to kill myself with cardio. Can't I just eat a calorie deficit and lift weights?

eating a calorie deficit (less than 1200 cal a day) will not help you lose fats and that's not healthy eating either...

emergencytennis

why bother with huge amounts of huffing and puffing on the cross-trainer? Can't we just eat healthy, lift some weights and jog a couple of times a week?

because compared to jogging a couple of times a week than huffing and puffing on the cross trainer, you'll lose fat much faster with that than doing the latter...

eating healthy wont burn your fats, it'll just maintain your fat levels and not add more... therefore you need more cardio if you've got lots of fats to burn and a little bit of weights and lots of protein to make up for the minimal wasted muscle...

This is not what I have learned from this site. What I have learned is that weight loss is hugely dependent upon diet, my body burns muscle in order to burn fat, and a slow weight loss combined with weight training is better than a quick weight loss due to radical cardio.

SarabellPlus3

I don't believe that weight loss is 80% diet. At least it never has been for me. If I stop doing regular cardio exercise I gain weight. When I start back up I lose the weight and stay thin. I wish it was more diet because finding time to eat is not a problem. Finding time for exercise is.

Yep, me too.

Someone said "weight is 80% diet, 20% work," yes, someone said that, and it's oft repeated. I think reality, though, is "calories in, and calories out." Well, diet is "calories in", and movement is for the most part "calories out." MOVING, cardio, weights, is how you change that part of the equation. So for someone who doesn't move much, maybe it's only 20%. For someone really active, it's a higher percentage, it just depends how you run the show.

Also, I'm not in this to look prettier (though that's a nice bonus). I'm in this to be strong and healthy. I COULD only eat 1000 calories, and lay on the couch weak and atrophied, but 'skinny' (well, skinny-fat). But why would I WANT to?

Savemyshannon

Yes, you can technically lose weight just by watching what you eat. As long as your caloric intake is lower than your caloric output, you will lose weight.

HOWEVER, the point of cardio is to increase the strength of your heart. Your heart, like your biceps or quads, is a muscle. The more you use that muscle (increasing your heart rate for 30-60 minutes via cardio), the stronger it becomes. By strengthening your heart, you decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other nasty business as well as increase your overall health--the better your heart works, the more efficiently blood (with fresh oxygen) can circulate, which in turn means your muscles and cells are better oxygenated, which makes your entire body feel better, more energized, and overall healthier.

SarabellPlus3

How many of these threads can there be each week? 100? 200?

you mean the "why do I have to work to lose weight?" threads?

My question was not about why do I have to work to lose weight. It was about why do I have to kill myself with cardio. Can't I just eat a calorie deficit and lift weights?

Yeah, if your goal is "to lose weight," I think you can. You'll be better off with the weights than without. I think you'd be better off with cardio for your heart if nothing else, AND it burns that many more calories, but if you hate it, you know, that's your decision.

Actually, I think some people say they get their heart rate up with weights, so that could function as cardio. I do weights, but not on that kind of scale. My lifting does not get my heart pumping nearly as well as spinning or running!

FearAnLoathing

I started exercising over a year ago with just strength training,and I was losing weight fine.It was not untill I added cardio that my respitory issues pretty much dissappered,my day to day mood inproved,and my energy levels.So I like my cardio,anyways I want to be ready when the zombie apocolaypse happens

patriciaachish

This is not what I have learned from this site. What I have learned is that weight loss is hugely dependent upon diet, my body burns muscle in order to burn fat, and a slow weight loss combined with weight training is better than a quick weight loss due to radical cardio.

like my advice, do not take anything as a hard evidence rather as a guide to how you will understand your body...

for me, a routine with 70% cardio and 30% weight training 3 times a week works...

I'm not saying skip the weights and just kill yourself in cardio...

I personally do 25 mins of treadmill and 35 mins of cross trainer 3 times a week and that is my 70% cardio and it works for me loosing not only weight but also body fat...

Do not cut down cardio as it is the faster fat burner than weights. Although weight training builds muscles and raises your metabolic rate, but that's in a long run...

and like everyone has said, do everything in moderation...

Good luck!

LilMissFoodie

I don't believe that weight loss is 80% diet. At least it never has been for me. If I stop doing regular cardio exercise I gain weight. When I start back up I lose the weight and stay thin. I wish it was more diet because finding time to eat is not a problem. Finding time for exercise is.

I reckon the 80-20 is a generalisation, but it is one which is widely promulgated.

The '80/20 rule' is based on calories in vs calories out. It takes an average man and gives him a half hour (or maybe it was an hour) walk per day and the calorie contribution of the exercise works out to be 20% of the total expenditure or something along those lines (that's just off the top of my head). Of course, there are differences here because different people exercise different amounts and also have different bodies and different goals for their weight and body composition.

I think the point though (which I definitely agree with), is that you can not out-train an absolutely rubbish diet. You have to have some control of your diet (which for some people does come naturally) to actually achieve weight loss or maintain a healthy weight.

fridayjustleft04

Diet = look good with clothes on. Exercise = look good naked. That's why you should "bother" with cardio.

emergencytennis

I started exercising over a year ago with just strength training,and I was losing weight fine.It was not untill I added cardio that my respitory issues pretty much dissappered,my day to day mood inproved,and my energy levels.So I like my cardio,anyways I want to be ready when the zombie apocolaypse happens

Haha, someone has finally come up with the right answer.

I want to be fit when the zombie apocalypse comes.

I want to be skinny so I can hide in the woods.

I want to be strong so I can carry my kids across the wasteland to safety

emergencytennis

why do I have to kill myself with cardio. Can't I just eat a calorie deficit and lift weights?

eating a calorie deficit (less than 1200 cal a day) will not help you lose fats and that's not healthy eating either...

A calorie deficit does not mean less than 1200. It just means less than one burns.

jlr_12

"For Important Health Benefits
Adults need at least:

2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms)."

-http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html

As others have stated, sure you can lose weight by simply eating healthy and doing a little bit of weight lifting. You will probably not have too much trouble reaching your weight loss goal...BUT you will not be as healthy as you could be if you also met the suggested requirements for cardio. What's the good of being skinny if it's not going to make you that much healthier? If it's not going to prevent heart disease? If you're still going to have trouble breathing after climbing a flight of stairs?

Again, as others have said, it's your choice..and just changing your diet and doing a little exercise is a wonderful step towards living a healthier lifestyle. It just seems like a wasted opportunity to go only 3/4 of the way in. Why not put the other 1/4 of effort in and be truly healthy?

Troll

How many of these threads can there be each week? 100? 200?

a week? Dont you mean hourly?

emergencytennis

Yes, you can technically lose weight just by watching what you eat. As long as your caloric intake is lower than your caloric output, you will lose weight.

HOWEVER, the point of cardio is to increase the strength of your heart. Your heart, like your biceps or quads, is a muscle. The more you use that muscle (increasing your heart rate for 30-60 minutes via cardio), the stronger it becomes. By strengthening your heart, you decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other nasty business as well as increase your overall health--the better your heart works, the more efficiently blood (with fresh oxygen) can circulate, which in turn means your muscles and cells are better oxygenated, which makes your entire body feel better, more energized, and overall healthier.

You are too smart, shannon