Should I do cardio?

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kakaovanilya
kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. I am trying to make exercise a habit. I am going to the gym 4 times a week and doing strength training only. It's been 2 weeks. I don't like cardio. I used the rowing machine for 20 minutes once last week. That was the only cardio I did in 2 weeks. I am not overweight, I want to lose a few kilograms only. My main goal is to like exercising and I kind of start to like strength training. Is it okay if I do cardio once a week only?

Replies

  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
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    No where does anything say you have to do Cardio! I personally love it! Cardio is good for your heart health. I think you should do what you will stick to doing. There are lots of different forms of cardio. Lace up your shoes and go for a short brisk walk, dance while cleaning your house...think outside of the gym, cause gym cardio is BOOOORING!!!!!
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
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    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    No where does anything say you have to do Cardio! I personally love it! Cardio is good for your heart health. I think you should do what you will stick to doing. There are lots of different forms of cardio. Lace up your shoes and go for a short brisk walk, dance while cleaning your house...think outside of the gym, cause gym cardio is BOOOORING!!!!!

    Yes, gym cardio is really boring! I used to go on walks with my dog but she is ten now and doesn't walk more than 10 minutes.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
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    I have a 14 year old dog, so I understand that. Take her for a short walk, then go for a brisk walk on your own. Do you have a bike? Cycling is an excellent form of cardio!
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
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    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    I have a 14 year old dog, so I understand that. Take her for a short walk, then go for a brisk walk on your own. Do you have a bike? Cycling is an excellent form of cardio!

    I don't have a bike but I can buy one if I decide to do cardio. More fun than walking!
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    I am not a big cardio fan either. I basically walk, or jog and can tolerate an elliptical but definitely need a distraction like tv or music because it is so monotonous with nothing to look at. I force myself to jog, and can't say I ever look forward to it, and my 'jog' is more like a fast walk but it sure does burn calories! Winter makes it tough as our climate is pretty darn cold and getting outside isn't realistic. You can achieve a lot by sticking to resistance training, and a good eating routine. Do as much cardio as you can fit into your life and see if you can find something you enjoy doing that maybe isn't standard..I havent been very lucky in that regard.
  • colettehugh
    colettehugh Posts: 5 Member
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    Cardio (machines) has always thrown a wrench into my weight loss and feelings of well-being: starving 24/7, headaches, burning out and dreading cardio day. Once I completely gave up cardio for walking (still lifting weights), I felt so much better. I walk three miles a day, regular paced some days, fast paced other days. I love being outside, so not only do I feel good body wise, but brain wise too.
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
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    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    I am not a big cardio fan either. I basically walk, or jog and can tolerate an elliptical but definitely need a distraction like tv or music because it is so monotonous with nothing to look at. I force myself to jog, and can't say I ever look forward to it, and my 'jog' is more like a fast walk but it sure does burn calories! Winter makes it tough as our climate is pretty darn cold and getting outside isn't realistic. You can achieve a lot by sticking to resistance training, and a good eating routine. Do as much cardio as you can fit into your life and see if you can find something you enjoy doing that maybe isn't standard..I havent been very lucky in that regard.

    My only cardio is 5 to 10 minutes warm up exercise; treadmill or elliptical :# I feel bad about doing no cardio.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    kakaovanilya wrote: »
    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    I am not a big cardio fan either. I basically walk, or jog and can tolerate an elliptical but definitely need a distraction like tv or music because it is so monotonous with nothing to look at. I force myself to jog, and can't say I ever look forward to it, and my 'jog' is more like a fast walk but it sure does burn calories! Winter makes it tough as our climate is pretty darn cold and getting outside isn't realistic. You can achieve a lot by sticking to resistance training, and a good eating routine. Do as much cardio as you can fit into your life and see if you can find something you enjoy doing that maybe isn't standard..I havent been very lucky in that regard.

    My only cardio is 5 to 10 minutes warm up exercise; treadmill or elliptical :# I feel bad about doing no cardio.

    Nothing to feel bad about, do what works and fine tune as you see a need or desire. I know lots of people that do very little cardio, except in warmups and cooldowns and they look fantastic and feel great. Some do like a cross-fit type workout where they do a routine quickly and jump from exercise to exercise and kind of get their cardio at the same time as their resistance training. I'm not a big fan of it, so I just stick to what I do lol. I just think its important to push your heart once in awhile. For me I can get one decent run in once or twice a week, it takes me about 30 mins and I feel good when I'm done. But I stress....I really hate running but havent ever found anything else that has the same bang that I can tolerate.

  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
    Options
    colettehugh wrote: »
    Cardio (machines) has always thrown a wrench into my weight loss and feelings of well-being: starving 24/7, headaches, burning out and dreading cardio day. Once I completely gave up cardio for walking (still lifting weights), I felt so much better. I walk three miles a day, regular paced some days, fast paced other days. I love being outside, so not only do I feel good body wise, but brain wise too.

    I guess I will try walking, too. 2 times a week for starters maybe.
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
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    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    kakaovanilya wrote: »
    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    I am not a big cardio fan either. I basically walk, or jog and can tolerate an elliptical but definitely need a distraction like tv or music because it is so monotonous with nothing to look at. I force myself to jog, and can't say I ever look forward to it, and my 'jog' is more like a fast walk but it sure does burn calories! Winter makes it tough as our climate is pretty darn cold and getting outside isn't realistic. You can achieve a lot by sticking to resistance training, and a good eating routine. Do as much cardio as you can fit into your life and see if you can find something you enjoy doing that maybe isn't standard..I havent been very lucky in that regard.

    My only cardio is 5 to 10 minutes warm up exercise; treadmill or elliptical :# I feel bad about doing no cardio.

    Nothing to feel bad about, do what works and fine tune as you see a need or desire. I know lots of people that do very little cardio, except in warmups and cooldowns and they look fantastic and feel great. Some do like a cross-fit type workout where they do a routine quickly and jump from exercise to exercise and kind of get their cardio at the same time as their resistance training. I'm not a big fan of it, so I just stick to what I do lol. I just think its important to push your heart once in awhile. For me I can get one decent run in once or twice a week, it takes me about 30 mins and I feel good when I'm done. But I stress....I really hate running but havent ever found anything else that has the same bang that I can tolerate.

    Last year I was going on walks regularly, I started to feel less tired when I was using the stairs after 2-3 weeks. I stopped walking though because I didnt like it. Now it's been 2 weeks since I am working out at the gym but I still don't feel less tired when I am using stairs. That's why I feel bad about doing no cardio.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Yes. But take it outside.

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