Fit 187: Enemy Cardio, Supplements, Invest in You! - a podcast by Kira Langolf

In this episode:

Is cardio your enemy? Ways to combat the negative effects of cardio and invest in yourself !

Training

Is cardio your body's weight loss enemy?

How many of you prioritize cardio? In some of the surveys I've done, it seems that there are many cardio kings and queens out there! A large portion of the exercising public does only cardio, aka aerobic exercise, in hopes of fat loss and improved health. Does cardio work for those things? Yes, but at what cost to your entire body and long term health? Let's look at what cardio/Aerobic training can do to your body.



Here's a few of the negative effects of cardio/aerobic training:



* stress on the adrenals

* chronic elevated cortisol levels

* may lower testosterone

* may hinder reproduction

* can shrink reproductive organs

* creates oxidative stress

* causes persistent inflammation

* lowers peak power output

* leads to a catabolic state/muscle wasting state in the body (if you perform it regularly without any resistance training)



There are some common misconceptions about aerobic exercise, especially in terms or fat loss and anti-aging.



Aerobic training doesn’t help with fat loss because it creates a hormonal environment that degrades muscle, spikes cortisol, and even though you’re burning calories, the deficit is rarely enough to offset the catabolic hormonal environment.



Long-term aerobic training, both at an elite level and at a recreational intensity, has been shown to lead to chronic inflammation and elevated cortisol. Why is this so bad? See, chronic inflammation results in premature aging of body tissues and has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For the recreational population that may perform anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes of aerobic training a few days a week, aerobic training typically leads to elevated cortisol, lower androgen hormones, increased inflammation, most of the negative affects listed above and does little to help with fat or weight loss!



Stephen H. Boutcher wrote an article on this subject called “High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss.” In it, he stated,“The effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible.” Sure, Elite aerobic athletes do tend to have lower body fat compared to the rest of the population, but research shows that anaerobic athletes such as sprinters have even lower body fat than long distance runners. Because they have more muscle, which helps burn fat, and because they do sprints which burn fat.



Sedentary people will see some benefits of aerobic training, because it is better to do aerobic training than to do nothing at all!



Now let me ask you something, are you an endurance athlete or are you someone who wants to lose weight or “stay in shape” ? Shouldn't you choose the best exercise for your goal? If you are an endurance athlete, you'll want to incorporate strength training into your program. If you are someone who wants to lose weight or “stay in shape” then you want to focus on strength training!



Let's review the bad news about aerobic training:



* doesn’t help the everyday person lose fat

* elevates cortisol

* lowers androgens

* degrades muscle

* causes loss of power

* increases inflammation



Hang in there, because there is some good news!  There are some research-proven strategies that work to minimize the many negatives of aerobic training.



* Add strength training to an aerobic program

* supplement with Fit Girl Guide Podcast

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Website of Kira Langolf