Cardio Tuesday!

I always have people ask me what kind of cardio they should do to lose weight. There are many different cardio exercises you can do to lose weight. The best way to lose belly fat is running, which I know most of us HATE. I used to enjoy running, but now I literally have to force myself to run once in a while just so that it keeps me motivated to want to lose weight and stay in shape. As long as you do at least 30 minutes of cardio a day, you are bound to lose weight, just as long as you are also eating healthy. Diet is KEY to losing weight. Just because you are going to the gym 5-6 days a week, does not mean you can eat whatever you want and expect to lose weight.... it just doesn't work that way.

If you do not like to run, you can jog, or even just walk on a very high incline for 40 minutes on the treadmill. What I also find useful is the stair-master, the bike, and sometimes the elliptical. If you are just starting your journey, I would suggest walking on a bit of an incline on the treadmill, or hopping on the elliptical (make sure to use the machine that also lets you work out your arms with the handles). It is good to switch up your routines every time you are at the gym.... if you are only running or only using the elliptical, you are most likely not going to see fast results, and you are also going to get very bored and unmotivated.

There are two different types of cardio... we have low-density and we have interval cardio. Low density cardio includes jogging, and anything else at a slower pace.....this will give your body the majority of energy it needs from fat. Interval cardio is more of a high-density exercise, which consists of different "challenges" so to speak. It will give you spurts of energy throughout your exercise, and also includes break periods in between each challenge. With interval cardio, you will see results much faster, and will spend less time in the gym =). Personally, I enjoy interval cardio more, because I am always on the move and I like to get things done quickly so that I have more time for other things, so this type of cardio just works for me. Again, everyone is different, so low-density might work best for others. Try both and see which you prefer better!

Many of us also work in an office where 85% of our day consists of sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen. It is not good nor healthy to sit down for 8 hours straight without getting up to walk around and loosen those muscles... especially after eating a meal. Even if it is just to walk around your office building for a few minutes, at least you are still getting that blood pumping!