So it’s time to drop a few lbs. You ask your friends, your mom, your mailman, your dentist and the guy who works at the corner store what to do.
And what do they all say?
Cardio, my boy… unless you’re a girl, then that’s weird. Maybe then they’d say, Cardio my lady!
Why do they say this? Because that’s what we’ve all been told for millions if not dozens of years now – run until you drop and those unsightly bulges will magically turn into lean muscle and a bucket full of sexiness.
But that’s not what happens is it… and there’s several good reasons for it.
Reason cardio sucks #1 – It burns muscle
That’s right my faithful reader! Running only burns muscle and rarely fat deposits. When you run, your body needs energy and it needs it quickly. So it turns to the most readily available source – muscle.
In order to burn fat, you have to kick your metabolism into high gear. But that takes a little time. When you run, you need instant energy and the process of converting fat into energy takes too long to start and too long to process.
That’s why so many professional runners are lean but have that sort of stringy physique. The fact is that walking for an hour is better for you. Or if you want to run to exercise your heart, it’s best to do intervals, which we’ll talk about later.
Why cardio is the devil’s work reason #2 – It just doesn’t burn that many calories
So when you slip on those expensive runners and hit the streets, what are you actually burning in terms of calories? Multiple studies show that on average, a person burns about 100 calories per mile – and that’s regardless of the speed at which you run.
So if you run a 5K or 3 miles, you’re going to burn about 300 calories. Considering a slice of banana bread gives you about 450 calories… that 300 earned through sweating your butt off doesn’t seem that impressive, does it?
Walking on the other hand burns about half as many calories. And walking is a lot better for your body as the next reason will illustrate…
Cardio blows reason #3 – It’s hard on the body
Over time, hard running is not so great on your joints or on your heart for that matter. Yes, the right kind of cardio is good for your cardio vascular system and for building endurance… but at the same time, a regular routine of running also damages the body and builds up scar tissue on the heart.
Walking, on the other hand, is far less intensive. It’s still good for the heart and while you have to do it twice as long to burn the same calories, it’s far safer. And if you walk faster than normal, say a 12 to 15 minute mile, you’ll increase your calorie burn.
Not fast enough? Then try intervals. Intervals are short bursts of super speed sperated by walking. You run as fast as you can for 10 seconds and then walk for a minute or so. Do this 8 times and you’ll get the same results as a 3 or 4 miles run without hurting your body.
Think about it like this – our ancestors used to run around chasing down red deer, bison and woolly mammoths for food. If running was so great at helping you lose weight, then why didn’t they starve to death while doing all that running?