Cardio is an easy and effective way to burn calories while fat loss. But what are the pros and cons of doing cardio everyday?
In this article, we’ll figure out whether we should do cardio daily. How often and for how long should you do it? And what’s the best strategy to do for fat loss? So let’s get started.
Should You Do Cardio Everyday To Lose Weight?
No doubt, cardio exercises help in burning calories and provide several health benefits. But everything has its own limits and beyond that, the thing can be harmful or useless at least.
So should you cardio daily or not depends on various factors. There is no fixed answer to this question.
It depends on your fitness level, body fat percentage, the muscle mass you have, and most importantly – the intensity, and duration of your cardio session.
Every individual is different and so is the exercise regime. But don’t worry, using the science-based insights in this article, you can find out the best strategy to do cardio for weight loss.
How Weight Loss Happens…
Weight loss happens when you create a negative energy balance (burning more calories than you consume). And cardio exercises like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, etc are an easy way to burn calories.
For example, 20 min of brisk walking can burn about 100 calories. You can do that 2-3 times a day and easily burn about 200-300 extra calories daily.
Is Cardio The Best Way To Burn Calories?
It’s true that the more cardio you do, the more calories you burn, and the more it helps in weight loss. But is it the only and the best way to burn calories?
NO…
The exercise physiologist and fitness advisor, Tom Holland said:
“solely engaging in cardiovascular exercises is not the best approach. Strength training is a powerful and important component of weight loss.”
In fact, strength training or weight training is sometimes more important than cardio during weight/fat loss.
Though, 30 min cardio might burn more calories than 30 min of strength training. But strength training boosts your metabolism and gives an afterburn effect due to which your body keeps on burning more calories throughout the day.
According to a 2017 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the best strategy to lose weight is to combine strength training and cardio exercises.
Hence, don’t just keep doing hours n hours of cardio. A combination of weight training and cardio should be your approach to lose weight.
How Often Should You Do Cardio To Lose Weight?
Well, it’s all about maintaining a proper balance between cardio and strength training. If you do it smartly, you can do cardio even every day and achieve the best weight loss results.
Let’s see on the basis of your fitness levels and goals:
If you’re a newbie and want to lose weight:
Start with about 30 min of cardio 3 to 4 times a week. As your fitness level improves, you can increase your session duration or frequency.
However, building muscle is not your primary goal right now, still don’t compromise with your weight training routine. You can do both in the same workout session or on alternate days.
If you have a decent amount of muscle mass and want to burn fat to get ripped:
Then put your cardio sessions small. Doing too much cardio might lead to some loss of muscle mass.
A 20 min cardio session after the workout would be enough to cut that extra fat. You can also replace your cardio sessions with HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) on alternate days.
Always avoid doing cardio before weights. Do it after weight training or in a different session altogether.
Related: Cardio Before or After Weights: What Should You Do?
To increase your cardiovascular ability or endurance:
If you are a long-distance runner and your primary goal is to build endurance then you can do cardio every day. But make sure to start small then keep on increasing your session duration as you progress.
Pros of Doing Cardio every day
- Improves cardiovascular abilities and heart health.
- A simple way to exercise and burn calories.
- The stored fat in your body would be used as an energy source.
- Gives better sleep at night.
- Good for your overall respiratory system reduces stress and increases metabolism, and energy.
- Daily early morning cardio is a good way to start your day. It improves brain function also.
Cons of Doing Cardio Everyday
- Doing cardio everyday might exhaust you physically and mentally.
- Risk of losing muscle mass if you are on a calorie deficit diet.
- It might lead to injuries due to overtraining.
In A Nutshell
The bottom line is that you can do cardio everyday, if you have time and you love to do it. It’s good for your overall health and helps in burning calories that lead to weight loss. Just don’t push yourself too hard, and start small in the beginning.
However, cardio is not the only way to lose weight. So it’s not a compulsion to do cardio everyday, no matter how overweight you are. Always put a slot for resistance training in your workout routine.
Remember, a balanced exercise regime is key for weight loss. So maintain a proper balance in your resistance training and cardio. On average, 3 to 4 sessions of 30 min cardio is enough for most people. Make sure to do it after weights or in a different session.
Just don’t push yourself too hard, and start small in the beginning with help of https://www.psychreg.org/benefits-telecounselling/.
Thanks for reading this far. I hope you like the article and learned something from this. If you have any queries related to fitness, just leave a comment below.
