Let's talk about CARDIO

There is this myth that you have to run miles and miles every day in order to lose weight. I'm here to tell you, that is not true! A lot of people do not like running and that is fine! There are so many other ways to do cardio and to lose weight. There are high impact and low impact forms of cardio. High impact puts more pressure on your joints, while low impact is easier on your joints.

I like to have a variety of different cardio sessions throughout my week. It is good to have a lot of variety in your workouts in order to keep your body guessing and to prevent a plateau in weight/fat loss. Here are some examples of different forms of cardio:

High Impact

• Running

• HIIT- This stands for High Intensity Interval Training. You can take your favorite exercises and create different circuits. The main point of HIIT is to work as hard as you can for a certain amount of time (usually around 30 seconds) and then rest (usually for a minute or 2, or 3) and repeat. Be sure to check out my blog post (Fat Burning, No Equipment Workout) for an example HIIT workout. One of the best things about it is that you can burn so many calories in a shorter amount of time.

Low Impact

• Walking

• Elliptical

• Rowing- Full body movement that targets your back and arms

• Swimming- Great full body workout, very tiring!

• Spinning/Biking- I love taking spin classes. They usually have great music and you work up a great sweat. One of the best parts about spinning is that you can push yourself as much or as little as you want to. Your 80% effort is different from someone else's 80% effort, so it's nice that you can go at your own pace.

• Stairmaster- Targets your legs/glutes. I don't think its physically possibly for someone to walk up a flight of stairs and not be out of breath! Haha. If it is your first time on one, try to stay on for 5 minutes. Then work your way up to 10, 20, or 30 minutes! Trust me, you will be covered in sweat.

An example of a beginners workout routine could be:

Monday- Spin

Tuesday-Rest

Wednesday-Yoga + upper body workout

Thursday-Rest

Friday-HIIT

Saturday-Yoga + lower body workout

Sunday- Rest

I personally think that you DON'T have to workout every day. It is important to let your body rest and recover. Especially when you first start working out! On your rest days, it is great to do 'active recovery'. For example, you could go on a short hike, play catch, go on a walk, or go for a leisurely bike ride. Anything that is going to get your body moving, without exerting too much energy. For a beginner, I would recommend 3 rest days a week, depending on how your body feels. You could add in a second HIIT session if you're feeling good.

I think that yoga is SO beneficial in so many ways. Try it, even if you think you're not flexible! There are tons of free yoga videos on youtube. Also, a lot of people don't know that there are different types of yoga. It's not all stretching and laying there. Some styles are a really hard workout! Try out different videos and find out what you like best.

I hope I've answered most of your questions about cardio. If you have any more just let me know.

Thanks for reading!

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