How cardio helps you lose weight

Losing weight isn’t always a walk in the park. Thankfully, cardiovascular exercises, popularly known as cardio, are convenient and can be done anywhere.

Over the years, cardio has been recommended as an excellent technique used for weight loss. It has been widely proven that cardio exercise might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for. Let’s dive into how cardio helps you lose weight and equip you with helpful tips.

The Relationship Between Cardio and Weight Loss

To lose weight and hit those fitness goals, you should combine cardio with low-calorie consumption, which can help you lose weight. To lose weight, you must establish a deficit in calories. This means you’ll need to use more calories than you consume. Cardio burns calories during your workout, but its benefits extend beyond that sweat session.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the relationship between cardio and weight loss:

Calorie burn during cardio exercises

When you engage in cardio, your body uses energy in the form of glucose from your bloodstream or stored sugar in the muscles. If your body requires more energy, it digs into your fat reserves.

If you want to lose weight, you need to intensify your workouts. The more intense the cardio sessions, the more calories you will burn. Remember that various factors primarily determine the amount of calories burned. These include your weight, fitness level, and the intensity and duration of the workouts.

Increase in metabolic rate

Cardio not only burns calories during workouts but also elevates your metabolism rate. This means you will burn calories even when your body is at rest. It has an afterburn effect that keeps your body burning calories after each workout.

This process is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The intensity of your workout influences EPOC. Higher-intensity workouts generally lead to a longer afterburn.

Fat oxidation process

During cardio, your body breaks down stored fat and uses it as fuel. Your body undergoes a biological process called lipolysis, where fat is burned and transported to the muscles for energy. This fat-burning process, called fat oxidation, helps to reduce your overall body fat percentage.

Types of Cardio Exercises for Weight Loss

While cardio is great for weight loss, there are different types. You can try them to see which is a good match for you.

Low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio

You can engage in these low-intensity activities for about 30-60 minutes. They last longer than HIIT and MICT exercises. It is for people of all ages and fitness levels. These include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling at a moderate pace. These workouts burn calories efficiently and are perfect for beginners.

Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT)

For most people, these workouts are just right. They are usually the first recommendation if you are looking to lose weight. Sometimes, they are combined with resistance training. To enjoy the benefits of these exercises, you need to keep at it for 30 minutes to an hour. They consist of moderate-difficulty exercises like jogging and cycling.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

In recent years, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a popular fitness trend due to its time-saving benefits. These exercises are usually intense and last briefly, followed by rest periods. These short periods can span across 20-30 minutes. For example, you can run for 30 seconds, stroll for a minute, and repeat the process.

HIIT workouts burn a significant amount of calories while boosting your metabolism after the workout.

Which of these cardio exercises are most effective for weight loss?

All three are effective for weight loss. It depends on your fitness level, preference, and schedule. If you are a beginner and prefer less intense workouts, you can start with LISS. If you need an option that helps you burn a lot of calories in a short time, HIIT works best. MICT provides an excellent middle ground.

How to Include Cardio in Your Weight Loss Plan

Here’s how you can start incorporating cardio into your weight loss routine:

• Stick to the recommended frequency and duration: Do 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio every week. But remember, something is always better than nothing!
• Balance cardio with strength training: You cannot replace strength training with cardio. Building muscle mass boosts your metabolism and burns more calories at rest. Do your best to get 2-3 strength training sessions per week.
• Progression and variety in cardio routines: As you get stronger, you can gradually increase the duration and intensity of your cardio workouts. Feel free to mix your routine with different activities to keep things interesting.

Mistakes to Prevent While Trying to Lose Weight with Cardio Exercises

As great as cardio exercises are, they must be done properly. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for:

• Overtraining: Always listen to your body. Sometimes, more is not always better. Putting too much pressure on your body can cause stress and injury. Give your body rest when it needs it.
• Neglecting nutrition: You can not continue to engage in cardio without a healthy diet. This is the best way of refuelling your body with the nutrients it needs.
• Ignoring rest or recovery periods: Your body naturally needs time to recover and replenish after workouts. So, it would help if you got enough sleep to aid muscle repair and your overall health.

Conclusion

As mentioned in this article, cardio is a powerful tool for weight loss. Its benefits are numerous, from burning calories to boosting your metabolism. You can choose from LISS, MICT, or HIIT. The most effective workout is one that you do consistently. However, avoiding common traps such as overtraining, poor nutrition, and ignoring rest periods is critical. You must achieve your workouts with a healthy diet and strength training to attain the best results. All you need to do is strike a balance.