Avoid Excessive Cardio: Surprising Reasons and Better Alternatives
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Understanding Cardio and Its Implications
As many individuals aim to enhance their well-being this year, choosing the right exercise can be pivotal. While any form of exercise generally contributes positively to health, caution is warranted with cardiovascular workouts. Although cardio has its place and offers some advantages, it also comes with significant risks and is often less effective than alternative exercise forms.
In this section, we will explore why you might want to limit cardio in your routine and what other activities could be more beneficial.
“Over the past four decades, many Americans have dedicated significant time to activities like jogging, using the Stairmaster, or the treadmill, hoping to lose weight, improve health, and prevent illness. While these exercises might aid stress management, studies indicate they are ineffective for weight loss and can even harm your health.” — Chris Kresser
What Is Cardio?
Cardiovascular exercise, commonly known as cardio, involves activities that elevate your heart rate for extended periods. This includes jogging, running on a treadmill, cycling at a steady pace, and swimming. Essentially, any exercise sustained at a moderate pace for over ten minutes qualifies as cardio, contrasting with weightlifting or short bursts of intense exercise like HIIT.
The Drawbacks of Cardio
- Impedes Fat Loss
Engaging in cardio does not promote fat burning; rather, it encourages your body to retain fat while breaking down muscle. Cardio enhances efficiency, which is counterproductive for fat loss. It conditions your body to preserve fat as a fuel source while shedding muscle mass, as muscle adds weight and requires more energy to maintain.
“When running, the body seeks to minimize unnecessary weight, which often means losing muscle. Conversely, body fat serves as a readily available energy source for cardio activities.” — Ben Greenfield
- Risk of Overtraining
Cardio typically consists of longer exercise sessions compared to other forms. This can quickly lead to overtraining, which diminishes the benefits and can contribute to weight gain instead of loss.
“Intense and prolonged exercise can stress the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, potentially leading to conditions like hypothyroidism, which is linked to weight gain and various health issues.” — Chris Kresser
- Cortisol Disruption
Building on the previous point, cardio can elevate cortisol levels, causing hormonal imbalances that may result in fat accumulation.
“Excessive exercise can throw off our natural cortisol rhythm, initially increasing levels and later suppressing them, which promotes abdominal fat gain and muscle loss.” — Chris Kresser
What Should We Do Instead?
While not all cardio is detrimental, it’s essential to balance your exercise regimen. Cardio should not dominate your weekly routine. Instead, incorporating a variety of activities is crucial. Low-intensity movements like walking, household chores, or light swimming can significantly contribute to health.
Additionally, integrating resistance training and high-intensity workouts into your routine can effectively promote fat loss and enhance overall health.
Action Steps:
- Engage in low-intensity activities throughout your day (e.g., walking, cleaning, carrying groceries)
- Perform resistance training 2-3 times weekly
- Include high-intensity workouts 2-3 times weekly
“In essence, we should mimic our ancestors, who frequently engaged in low-intensity activities like walking and gathering food, interspersed with brief, intense activities such as hunting or fleeing from predators.” — Chris Kresser
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