A message I received last week reminded me that there's something I haven't discussed in a while.

This particular individual said that she was struggling to lose weight and her trainer recently upped her cardio.

She was confused.

Why isn't my body responding when I just added in three additional cardio sessions per week??

Ummm, because more cardio is NOT the answer to fat loss.

I actually didn't say that to her.

She already has another coach and one thing I will never ever do is step on toes.

Even if I disagree with their approach.

If you've got a coach and something doesn't feel right.. tell your coach!

If they don't listen.. get a new coach. :)

Anyway, let's get back to our good friend, cardio.

Cardio has a ton of health benefits (assuming it's used and not abused).

However, it's not one of the best fat loss tools.

Why?

Because it's a very manual way to burn calories.

You have to work pretty hard with not much to show for it and it doesn't do you much good after the fact (from a fat loss perspective).

Cardio can improve your mood. Make you feel accomplished. Improve your cardiovascular health. Stamina. Heart health. And plenty more.

However, it doesn't do much in terms of fat loss.

Sure, you burn a bunch of calories for that 30-60 minutes or however long session.. but that's about it.

Your body doesn't burn any additional calories post-workout like it does with strength training.

Your body also can accommodate for the manual calorie burn by subconsciously moving less throughout the day.

Your body may also feel hungrier and have more cravings as a result of doing cardio... which is why it's not a great tool for fat loss.

But the real kicker is that your metabolism becomes more efficient with calories.

The more cardio you do, the less calories you burn from the same amount of cardio.

So what's the answer? Even more cardio?

That gets old pretty quickly.

Just like with calorie restriction.

What do you do when your body adapts to low calories? Go even lower?

Hopefully you know better since you're a subscriber to my emails ;)

Anyway, we should be looking at ways to prime our metabolisms for sustainable fat loss.

That means fueling and training in a way to support more calories being burned at rest.

Strength training helps.

Eating enough helps (especially protein and fiber).

Drinking enough water helps.

And moving more throughout the day helps.

Cardio can be used as something you simply enjoy doing whether for pleasure or for the other health benefits. (Example: I believe a brisk walk can 100% change your perspective of your day and alleviate stress).

But let's not act surprised when additional cardio doesn't lead to additional fat loss.

Instead, work smarter, not harder.

Eat enough to support your activity and recovery.

Prioritize strength training and walking.

Use cardio in the amount you enjoy and be sure to monitor your hunger response and overall stress.

Structure your plan in a way that best suits your personality type.

Integrate the process to allow for things you enjoy doing like date nights, restaurant meals, social events, alcohol, etc.

And listen to your body to see what makes you feel your best.

Or you can shoot me a reply to this email and I can do all of that for you.

If you do.. I can assure you we won't get you unstuck by recommending more cardio ;).

We've been able to successfully work through many a plateau in the most efficient way possible.

If you're feeling stuck, you should probably hit reply.

I'll make sure you're a good fit for our program and if you are, we can get started right away.

Later tater,
Coach Mike