Lose Weight & Keep It -HOW MUCH CARDIO YOU REALLY NEED? | uxa2.com

It seems like I see the same people on the cardio machines every time I go to the gym. They run, climb, or bike for over an hour—and yes, they sweat, but they also unknowingly burn off precious muscle. Often they wonder why they don’t look thinner or why they’ve reached a plateau in their routines.

Cardio offers so many amazing benefits. It makes our heart stronger, increases endurance, burns calories/fat, can make you faster, and most of the time it can be fun. But after a certain point, you can actually start to see diminishing returns from cardio if you’re doing too much.

So, how do we find the sweet spot?

According to recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the US Department of Health and Human Services, we should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardiorespiratory exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous intensity exercise per week. If you do a moderate activity such as brisk walking or jogging, a fun dance class, or a moderate cycling class, all you need to do is do 30 minutes five days a week to check this box. For more intensive cardio training, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Orangetheory or other intensive bootcamp, three 25-30 minute workouts per week would be enough.

If in doubt, 30 minutes of cardio most days of the week is a good rule of thumb to follow. The sweet spot is something that makes you feel energized and not depleted. You also want to focus on the type of cardio you enjoy!

A few good rules of thumb:

• Combine cardio and strength training. A solid routine includes cardio, strength, flexibility/mobility and rest. Even if you don’t engage in traditional exercise, focus on ways to be active throughout the day. Strength training helps protect and build lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat.
• Alternate cardio intensities. Try to vary the type of cardio you do (challenge day, easy day, hill day, off day, etc.) to provide adequate recovery time and prevent burnout.
• Instead of adding time to practice, add a challenge. On the treadmill, you can play with the incline or add speed intervals as a simple way to make your workout more exciting and challenging without being there for longer.
• Try new courses! This is a fun way to try new routines and change up your cardio. Try an indoor cycling, dance or zumba class. If you work out at home, check out Fitness Marshall’s dance cardio videos.