Cardio, Fitness and Spring!
We are at the gates of spring! Make way for the fitness trend after winter slack! Diet, renewal of access to the gym, registration for various fitness classes… all strategies are good as long as they help us lose that famous fat, that orange peel skin and those few pounds accumulated during hibernation. .
Still, the favorite and most popular activity to target this aesthetic fitness is Cardio. Everybody talks about it. Everyone has a certain idea. Others know the more advanced technical details. Some really have no idea what they're doing… in short, there's all kinds of “trendy” information and “ideal recipes”. That said, the laws of how the human body works remain fundamentally the same!
But how do you do cardio? For how long? At what intensity?
Technically, cardio for weight loss is aerobic physical activity! So simple. It is therefore any activity: slow jogging, walking, cycling, gardening and even cleaning!
As long as physical activity remains low to medium intensity and long duration, we are in fat burning mode. AND FROM THE FIRST MINUTE. Indeed, waiting 45 minutes to “burn the fat” is one of the most widespread myths. Any activity 65% of maximum resistance and below is a Cardio Weight Loss activity!
But what does all this mean in practice?
- Duration: We burn our fat from the first minute, but the more we do, the more we burn!
- Intensity: You should always be able to lead a discussion (this is not an encouragement to talk during training, on the contrary, you have to stay focused). If the breath is taken away, it is that we have pushed more than necessary, and therefore it is not the optimal mode for burning fat.
- How : Jogging, walking, running, treadmill, bike, spinning, elliptical, swimming. All these activities are easily accessible. By respecting the intensity, they prove to be the best choices for cardio.
- When: at any time of the day, as long as the activity is maintained and sustained. Walking to work for 3 minutes, sitting, talking, moving again for 2 minutes is not the right way to do it. For optimal efficiency, the chosen activity must be practiced in a row. Whether it's 10 minutes or 2 hours, make sure you have the time to do it all at once.
- How much : 2 to 6 times a week! Depending on personal availability and physical possibilities. If cardio is paired with resistance training (weights, machines, and dumbbells), it's always more effective to do it after weight training.
- The best advice remains sports practice throughout the year, to stay in shape, maintain your physical condition and prevent weight gain!
By Patrick Georgevitch – Masso-Physiotherapist; Fitness Coach and Physical Conditioning Specialist.