Cardio exercises get your heart pumping and improves your blood circulation. They not only help burn calories and lose fat effectively, but also improves metabolism and increases immunity level. Despite these highlighted benefits, many people find cardio to be ineffective while shedding those pesky extra pounds. This is due to all the falsehoods surrounding cardio exercises. Thanks to the knowledge bestowed upon us by the self-proclaimed gym gurus, we tend to follow the cardio myths that get in our way of losing weight.
Into Wellness, the best fitness equipment brand in India, busts these myths so that you can shrug them away and reap full benefits of cardiovascular exercises.
- Myth 1 – Lower-intensity cardio workout – my mantra to lose weight faster
It is true that low-intensity workouts do help to rapidly burn fat. But is that reason enough to ignore another form of workout? Your aim is to lose weight fast, right? What matters is the total amount of calories you are burning. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout will contribute in speedy burning of those extra gained calories. This happens because your body continues to burn calories for the next 24 hours even after finishing your workout. Although one has to mind that undergoing HIIT workout everyday may also lead to injuries and fatigue. To avoid this, smartly balance your workout by doing low-intensity and high-intensity workouts alternately.
- Myth 2 – Why strength training? I have cardio to my rescue
This one is an outrageous myth. Why skip strength training when not only is it going to help you burn more calories but also assist in getting a leaner and fitter body. Incorporating strength training in your workout regimen will contribute in building lean mass, shedding those clingy extra pounds and improving metabolism rate. The more you invest in resistance training, the more calories you will burn. Plan a hybrid cardio and strength training workout to develop strength and endurance simultaneously. There, that’s your way to get that dreamy lean and slender body!
- Myth 3 – I do cardio! I can eat more!
We know how much you wish this was true! But, let us get this straight, cardio exercises or for that matter any workout will benefit only when it is accompanied by a healthy dietary plan. Burning calories means you can afford to eat more is a blissful myth. Yes, ignorance is blissful, but not when it comes to training your body rightly. You simply cannot eat junk food, no matter how hard your cardio workout is. By doing so you are making it hard for yourself to achieve your weight loss goals. Avoid eating processed food and you will find yourself in a better position on the weight loss chart.
- Myth 4 – Food before workout? Naah, cardio on empty stomach will burn more calories
Healthy food is fuel to the body. Since we require energy to do any task, it should be easy for you to see through this misconception. Having a pre-workout snack should be mandatory which will help perform exercises effectively. This snack will provide you the energy required to undergo the cardio workout. A granola bar, a fruit, a piece of toast, oatmeal are a few items that can be consumed before a workout. These food items run high on simple carbohydrates that can be digested fast and which provide enough energy.
Following these myths will only disappoint you by keeping you away from reaching your goals. Keep these myths in mind and undergo your cardio training workouts to lose weight faster and achieve that slender and lithe body.