Cardio For Fat Loss – Avoid These Three Mistakes!

As more health and fitness information becomes readily available, there is, inevitably, a growing disconnect that occurs between students and the teachers. This disconnect has been demonstrated clearly in the realm of cardio for fat loss, where misinformation has left hopeful dieters disappointed and depressed. While there is no denying that any cardiovascular exercise poses benefits in virtually every aspect of physical health, there are some unfortunately common mistakes that inhibit people from achieving the results they really crave: Fat Loss.

Mistake #1: Cardio-Junkies Don’t Eat Enough

Let’s break some barriers right off the bat; your body wants to lose weight, it’s trying to lose weight, and it will lose weight if you treat it well! Unfortunately, one of the most overlooked aspects of any weight or fat loss program is the all-important nutritional element. In my experience with failed dieters, one of the most common threads running through each case is an alarming lack of food. One can only sumise that the reason for this is society’s warped view that food is what makes us fat.

Simply put, fat loss is the process by which your body metabolizes the fats you ingest from food. Your metabolism is the engine that fuels your body’s natural desire to lose weight, so it’s absolutely crucial to listen to it. This means eating nutritionally dense foods regularly and consistently throughout the day: a common recommendation is a 350-450 calorie meal every three to four hours daily. This provides our metabolism with a manageable amount of energy to expend in appropriate intervals.

Mistake #2: Cardio-Junkies Don’t Strength Train

The prevailing notion in the diet industry is that cardio training sufficiently burns fat. Granted, it also burns muscle when strength training is not incorporated. Look at marathon runners –athletes who do cardio exclusively- and come to your own conclusions. Muscle development not only fills out the lost weight, it also expedites your metabolism and accelerates the entire fat loss process. Therefore, it is a crucial component that is tragically neglected.

Mistake #3: People Are Doing the Wrong Cardio Workouts

For the longest time, it had been thought that the best results from cardio were achieved through long, slow and boring exercises. Now, more research is showing that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can project the same –and often better- results!

Each form of cardio poses its own benefits and is catered to people of different body types. For example, a fitness newbie with a body fat percentage over 25% would benefit most with some of cardio’s more conventional routines to gain athleticism and stamina and better prepare for HIIT. A great way to determine readiness for HIIT is the ability to leg press or squat one and a half times one’s own body weight for 6 reps.

As you can see, the wealth of knowledge when it comes to cardio for fat loss is immense and growing –this article barely scratches the surface. Remember that knowledge is power, and keep these points in mind before you engage in any weight or fat loss plan.

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