RE: 20/20-
Hello. This is an interesting topic, and I do not think it's so clear cut as to say he's wrong. (Caveat: coming from someone who's done intense "Cardio" for the past 25 years - nearly daily). In the past year, I have been doing a LOT of research into what it takes to lose body fat and be healthy. One reason that I've been on my research mission is because I have been doing cardio for so long - intense cardio, long duratin cardio, 2x-3x daily cardio, less cardio, intervals, etc... - and not getting any results in bodyfat loss. Stamina stays fairly consistent, although obviously when I'm training for a half marathon or a similar event, I become proficient in running for longer periods. (Same w/ biking).
Now, because I have some pounds to lose, and because I've been doing all this aerobic exercise without getting those results, I got frustrated. Recently, I found that I have very little adrenal gland output (low cortisol, low sex hormones) and also slighly hypo - very slighly - thyroid. In researching this issue, I re-read the likes of Diane Schwarzbein, and I also looked into some other fitness-related research, such as that done by Paul Chek. There are several -particularly in the weight training world - who stand firm that a heavy schedule of aerobic exercise (anything above a heartrate 90 bpm consecutively from several minutes upwards) is detrimental to the body, accelerates aging, and is particularly hard on women over 35, due to its effects on the hormones. Instead, many recommend a combination of weight training, flexibility training, and other "light" exercise - or what would be considered light on this board, such as walking or hiking. I find it very interesting, and also persuasive particularly in light of my personal situation.
I know a few cardio surgeons, and they say that the heart actually remains quite healthy as long as you move your body in some way each day - you don't need to do IMAX 3 twice a week, plus running 5 miles a day, for a healthy heart. In fact, that is probably worse for your heart. That's their idea.
My point is that I think there are extremes both sides, and I do believe a lot of American women have been led down this path of "the more aerobic exercise I do the better", and many have been let down.
On a side note - I went to Africa recently and the folks there stay quite healthy and lean with simple large bouts of daily physical activity. That is the way we're meant to live. So in the modern world, we could accomplish that by moving our bodies frequently in different ways, but not necessarily by going all out, every day like hamsters on a machine.
