When it comes to losing weight, it’s good to strategize and think about which exercises will help you burn off those extra calories. Cardio is a great exercise to incorporate into your physical aptitude routine not only to lose weight, but also to promote heart health, lower blood pressure and improve mood.
While there are many different factors to consider for weight loss, we talked to trainers for general guidance on how much cardio you need for a slimmer waist.
How cardio helps with weight loss
When it comes to losing weight, it’s about being in a calorie deficit. That means the calories you are consuming are less than the calories you are burning.
There are two ways to get into a calorie deficit, which when done simultaneously show the best and fastest results, John Gardner, NASM-certified personal trainer and CEO and co-founder of Kickoff, explains. The first includes reducing calories consumed by following a healthy diet, restricting calorie intake. and eliminate any unhealthy high-calorie foods from your diet.
The other method is to exercise. And this is where cardio comes in.
When you exercise, you burn more calories and therefore help achieve a higher caloric deficit for weight loss. Cardio is one form of exercise that helps raise your heart rate and shed more calories in the process, leading to weight loss, Gardner adds.
Related: These are the calories you burn per day and what to watch out for if you’re trying to lose weight
When it comes to cardio, the simplest answer is that any cardio can help you lose weight. Joey Thurman, CES CPT FNS in Kuudose, he explains. Cardio is simply burning energy (calories) to fuel your workout during and to some extent after you finish exercising, depending on the type of cardio. So if you eat less and move a little more, the scale will go down.
The amount of cardio you need to do each week to lose weight
This largely depends on your age, gender, weight, activity level, and intensity level. However, three to five 45-minute cardio sessions per week are generally recommended, says Gardner.
There are many different factors to take into account.
“Do you move around a lot during the day? You lift weights? Are you going to cut calories?” Thurman asks. “Most people don’t just need to stick with traditional cardio — they can do resistance exercise two to three days a week and just do several walks a day for 10 to 15 minutes at a time for their extra movement or ‘cardio ‘”.
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Doing cardio can and will help you lose weight and gain more endurance. Most people should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, whether it’s walking, run, chasing children, etc., says Thurman. More is not necessarily better.
As you exercise more, your body can only burn so many calories in a day and it will hit a threshold and naturally slow down your non-exercising activity thermogenesis (NEAT), the small movements you make throughout the day. If you’ve ever seen a professional athlete when he’s not exercising or training, he often moves very slowly while his body conserves energy for play or practice, Thurman adds.
Related: 23 Ways to Incorporate Cardio into Your Workout or Strength Training Routine
Types of cardio exercises
Swimming
Swimming is an excellent form of aerobic activity that helps deliver the benefits of physical activity while being easy on the joints. It can help promote weight loss, build muscle, prevent injury and relieve back pain, Gardner explains.
If you’re new to swimming, it’s best to start at a slow pace and gradually build up to high-intensity training. However, if you have been swimming for a while and want to lose fat, this exercise is effective:
Warm-up: swim at a moderate pace for 200m
- Preset: Freestyle 200 meters, kick for 100 meters x2
- Do three sets of the following: Rest 1 minute between sets.
- Minute 1: front crawl at high speed for 50 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
- Minute 2: Back stroke at high speed for 50 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
- Minute 3: Kicks forward only at maximum speed for 50 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
- Minute 4: Back stroke (arms only, keep legs straight) at maximum speed for 50 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
- Minute 5: Breaststroke at high speed for 50 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
mile reps
Thurman recommends running a mile as fast as you can, timing it, and then walking the same time it took you to run. Get up and repeat several times.
HIIT
Interval training is great if done right. do a sprint, bike hard, jump rope, etc., and go as hard as you can for 20-30 seconds, take a breather for 30 seconds to two minutes, and repeat several rounds for about 25 minutes, suggests Thurman.
Walking
Daily walks and walking after a meal for 10 minutes are great for burning calories, digestion, and bloating. Do this 3-4 times a day, says Thurman. Even try walking backwards, it’s great for knee health.
Next: Should you do cardio before or after lifting weights at the gym?
Sources
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