Are You Doing Too Much Cardio?

By: Gerald Fitz
Submitted: 2009-10-12 17:56:00
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The ideal of the perfect woman has shifted throughout the years.  It seems that now it almost changes every time that you turn on the television and there is a new starlet.  The shocking trend that has really hit the Hollywood elite is to be ultra skinny.  This craze of being skinny enough to be a stand in for a walking skeleton just isn’t healthy.  Nor is it attractive.  Yet, many women are doing everything from cosmetic surgery, unhealthy dieting, and extreme workouts to get the super skinny body. 

One of the great myths that have come from women wanting to get the super skinny look is the devotion to cardio equipment. Many people that are looking to lose weight will not go anywhere near weights, nor will they think of doing anything but attacking a stair master, a tread mill, or an elliptical machine.  The problem is that people that spend too much time on a cardio machine are not only hurting their bodies, but they might actually be doing things to gain weight. 

When a person is using a cardio machine their body is searching for the best and most efficient way to power itself.  It will burn through all of the available energy that it had stored before a workout, and then it will use the next easiest to convert.  A body of a person that is running for long periods of time will turn to breaking down muscle in order to power itself through the workout.  Why will your body use muscle instead of burning the extra fat?  The muscle is easier for the body to break down, and the body is trying to lean itself in order to have enough energy to complete long cardio workouts.  This means that the body will try to shut down as much as possible and really slow down its metabolism.   The body is trying to conserve as much energy as possible.  This is the result of too much cardio.  This is also the reason that many marathon runners are so skinny, and have very little muscle.  If a person that is really committed to cardio ever stops working out they would be very susceptible to weight gain due to their low metabolism. 

The better way to help your body to lose weight and to keep it off is to balance workouts and nutrition.  A person should try to add a good balance of cardio with resistance based training.  Plus, people should really try to add a good regiment of stretches that work the core muscle groups.  This type of training will promote lean muscle growth.  Lean muscles are great for people that want to burn fat and lose weight.  They also provide people with energy, so that they aren’t feeling tired or worn out during the day.  A good way to help your body create lean muscle is by adding a good protein supplement to your daily diet.

Protein is key element that your body uses to create lean muscle.   Taking a good protein supplement will help your body to have a supply to repair and create muscle.  The best supplement that you can take to help your body is a whey protein supplement.  Whey protein supplements are great because they are very high in protein purity.  Whey protein isolates contain over 90% pure protein.  Whey protein supplements also contain lower levels of fats and carbohydrate compared with soy based products.  Whey protein is also easier on your body’s system limiting the side effect of the indigestion that sometimes occurs with soy based protein supplements. 

If you are going to the gym and killing yourself everyday on a cardio machine, you might be doing your body a great disservice.  It is important to have a good balance in workouts in order to get the best results.  

Article source: Expert Articles