Monday, May 23, 2011

To Cardio, OR Not to Cardio?

Welcome,

Everyday I meet people who's goals are to lose weight, tone-up, and just look and feel better.  Unfortunately, those same people are the instant gratification type who want the quick fix to a problem that more than likely did not happen over night.  You did this to YOU and YOU can fix it.  It is just going to take a little time and a lot of effort and discipline.

You can try all of the fad diets and pills you want and you may lose a few pounds here and there, but you can almost guarantee that you will put it back on (often time(s) double the weight) just as fast as you lost it.  Now, if you do not already know, let me be the first to tell you that 80 percent of successful weight loss begins and ends with good nutrition.  The rest is exercise and SLEEP!(8 consecutive hours, minimum)  So unless suffer from insomnia or sleep apnea, this is the easy part. 

Exercise is great!  But there are different types of exercise(s) for different results.  Although weight training is great for toning and building muscle, the most effective form of exercise to assist in your weight loss journey is cardiovascular training.  Keep in mind, for this to be most effective you must first find your optimal training zone (Heart Rate) and then maintain that zone (fat burning) during bouts of cardiovascular activity. 

Please understand that I am not saying that you can not lift weights to burn fat.  You simply have to lift weights at a rate at which it increases your heart rate to the optimal training zone and maintain it as you would during a run, walk, or bike ride. 

Formula for finding your training zone:  220 - AGE= max heart rate(HR)   Cardiovascular endurance training (Max HR x .75 =  cardio training zone),  To burn fat you should train at 50-60 % of your max HR, to find your range take (Max HR x .5-.6= Fat burning zone).

Thank You for Stopping By,

Derek