Sound familiar?
Me too. And, I'm fed up with working out a lot, eating ridiculously right and not seeing the results I want. Luckily I know why, and I have for awhile but I dread what I have to do...change my routine! Like a lot of ladies I'm a cardio queen. I can kick butt running, in spin, on the stairmaster, etc. but my muscles are just blah, I have no tone. Here's the gist of why you need to add in those weights and strength moves:
Running, running, running is where women run into trouble. You lose weight, but it's lean body mass. You stop doing it, you'll gain it right back. So what are we doing wrong? Cardio (especially running) lose antioxidants and amino acids because of the continued exertion. Then the body burns lean muscle mass instead of fat. If you burn up all your muscle or you don’t build it then over time your metabolism decreases. You eat less and less and still gain weight! This leads to frustration, fad diets, and even more cardio! So to help it burn the bad stuff more efficiently, pop a multivitamin every day and take amino acid supplements.
A lot of cardio queens look great because they burn calories as well as eating up muscle to fuel themselves. They are not strong and this lean look is not lasting. In fact, most C.Q.’s have a high body fat percentage due to lack of muscle. This leads to loss of muscle tone and an overall “unhealthy” state for your body. Every pound of muscle burns 50 calories so, lift some weights. This way you'll burn body fat while adding lean mass, allowing your body to burn calories more efficiently in the long run.
Finally, most of us cardio queens run run run, spin spin spin and lose at first but then get in rut. Like me right now. I've hit my plateau...well shit, now what? It's time to vary my routine. Any cardio after three weeks, if you don't change it up, you'll plateau. Instead, try interval training. You've heard it before, here's what it means: Speed-walk three miles if you usually run them. Run for two minutes and walk for one. Anything that shocks your body out of its well-worn routine will help you burn more calories.
Most info from LemonDrop
When I hit my plateau, I was doing weight training a few times a week, running, spinning, walking, etc. The ONLY thing that helped me was to STOP all of it and just do yoga, relax, and light walking. I lost 15 lbs with that, healthy diet and acupuncture within just a few weeks... Stressing out the body too much through too much exercise can be really terrible for weight loss. At least for me...
ReplyDeleteGood luck w/ your plateau!
I remember that cycle for you. I'm glad it has helped you to take it down a notch. I will continue to teach spin twice a week and run 2-3 times a week--I have a 1/2 in March to train for! But I'll be adding the resistance training for muscle work and yoga 2-3 times a week as well. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the positive thoughts =)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with everything! I know you can do it :)
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