Yes, sooner or later you will have to hit the cardio. Here are 10 MUST HEAR tips for when you do start your cardio training…

So you’ve at last added an adequate amount of muscle to your body and now you only have to dispose of that spare layer of padding that seems to have crept on as well. You are doubtless thinking to yourself right now that you will have to suffer unlimited agony on the treadmill, bike or elliptical to obliterate this extra layer and reveal your newly chiseled figure.

Doing 45 minutes on the Stairmaster daily is a great way to get the pounds off faster. Two hours is not so great, since you’re bound to start losing muscle mass. When and how much is personal but avoid cardio sessions exceeding one hour, as this can actually cause you to gain weight, lead to injuries, and set you up for failure. If you need the punishment do one session in the morning and one in the evening.

Don’t run if you hate to do it. The secret to sticking with a cardiovascular routine is selecting something that you actually like doing. For instance, if you’re a recreational cross-country skier, or swimmer, then do these a couple of times a week at an amplified intensity, so as to harvest the cardiovascular benefits of these activities.

The majority of people are unsuccessful because they do not establish objectives and mark down full plans on how they will reach the aims that they fix for themselves. You can go to the bookstore and pick up several volumes on how to exercise and they all say something different. So which one is accurate? They all are! The whole lot works, just not forever. This is where planning comes in.

For weight management, follow a structured nutritional plan that provides for five small meals per day versus two or three large ones. Stimulate your body effectively by eating small meals every two to three hours. This will permit your metabolism to function at its best level.

Start thinking of fitness as a cumulative endeavor. Try to find time for brief spurts of exercise when it’s expedient and you’ll increase your metabolism more than you would during a two-hour session.
Sample Schedule

• Monday, 6 a.m. – 20-minute walk
• Tuesday, 6 a.m. – 30 minutes yoga; 12 p.m. – 10-minute walk; 7 p.m. – 10 minutes abs
• Wednesday, 6 a.m. – 20 minutes upper-body weights; 7 p.m. – 10 minutes stretching/yoga
• Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 minutes Pilates; 12 p.m. – 10-minute walk
• Friday, 6 a.m. – 10 minutes lower body weights; 6 p.m. – 10 minutes glutes and abs
• Saturday, 10 a.m. – 40 minutes cycling or walking
• Sunday – 20 minutes jungle gym with your kids or pets

Combining high-intensity sprints with lower-intensity recovery periods – is up to three times more successful at reducing fat stores than steady-state aerobic exercise. And scientists at the University of Western Australia have established that you can make the most of fat loss from intervals by keeping them short.

A change in your preferred activity – such as cardio kickboxing in place of step aerobics, or power yoga rather than working on machines – may be enough to give a boost to a hackneyed routine. Shift your exercises outside for a refreshing change in scenery if you’ve always worked out indoors.

This way if you are dieting to be ripped you will not eat away at your hard earned muscle.

Plan regular water breaks even if it’s cold and you haven’t broken a sweat. The drier cold air in winter is responsible for an increased water loss through breathing. You will become dehydrated unless you drink more water.

Join the kids for a game of backyard touch football or tag. Take advantage of their contagious energy.

An accepted fitness principle is that cardio should be done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. However, the reality is, it’s not always best to do cardio as soon as you roll out of bed. Only about half of the fat used in aerobic exercise is mobilized from adipose tissue, the balance comes from fat stored intramuscularly. Additionally, research has revealed that eating prior to exercise actually boosts caloric expenditure.

To jump-start your weight loss, quit using vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower and corn. The store-bought kind is highly refined, and it oxidizes easily when heated, contributing to arterial plaque. Use olive oil instead. Also, watch the types of fat you’re eating. The amount of fat you consume is in all probability less significant than the kind. Fried foods, margarine and foods that contain hydrogenised or partially hydrogenised oils are the worst.

“The amount of fat you consume is in all
probability less significant than the kind.”

Cut your chances for countless killer diseases and rev up your metabolism with aerobic and strength training and delay the aging process. Get five to seven servings of fruits and veggies per day. They are heart-healthy, and give you more nutrition bang for your buck, and they reduce your risk of getting some forms of cancer. You also feel fuller when you’re eating less, with the added fiber.

Everyone needs to build fitness, yet for fitness to last, it must be built upon a foundation of health principles. When we eat properly for our metabolic type, eat premium organic foods, eat frequently to keep our blood sugar levels at their best range, get to bed at a sensible hour and learn to handle our stressors, the addition of an workout agenda of any kind is truly beneficial and offers disease prevention.