Can I really decrease cardio?

Zozo

Zozo

Cathlete
I currently do 30-45 minutes of cardio everyday in the morning. I also do an additional 2 1 hour cardio workouts in the evenings. Every other evening I am doing weights - bar one, where I do yoga. I have read in lots of places that as much cardio as I am doing is too much -or at least, not necessary. I would like to replace some of my cardio sessions with some more flexibility training. However, my question is - if I am currently doing this amount of cardio (including 2-3 HIIT workouts a week), do not feel overtrained, and am maintaining a steady weight (have been for two years), surely decreasing cardio will simply make me gain weight? Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks
Zoe
 
This amount of cardio sounds exhausting. Where are you finding the time?!?! Well, you don't need this much. I think what you will find if you scale back is three things happening:

--the extra rest will make sure that when you next do a cardio workout you are really fired up and have extra energy to put into it. You will find out that working our smarter allows you to work harder. Quality over quantity.

--you may naturally take in fewer calories because you are not starving all the time.

--you will be more rested and able to put extra energy into your lifting. That next weight level that has so far proved elusive? See if you don't now gradually work your way towards it.

In any case, I would not worry about it at all. Try it as an experiment and see how you enjoy the extra energy you have, the more time you have to sleep and be with friends and family, catch up on good books or the excellent fall TV line up. You are not about to blow up to the size of a blimp!

I don't do more than 3 cardio sessions per week. My weight has held steady for the last 7-8 years. There are other things in life, you know?

Clare
 
Thanks for your reply Clare :) I agree completely... I do think that the amount of cardio has been excessive. But I enjoy it, and it's the only time I blow off steam :) But this is why I am not trying to decrease it. The issue I am having is that I can't get my head around how decreasing the amount of cardio I do WON'T have an adverse effect. My body has got used to the amount of cardio I do, and it seems logical that reducing it is bound to have an adverse effect.
I do feel that I give a lot of energy to all my cardio workouts. I always vary the intensity, so when I'm doing a 'hard' cardio day, I can give it my all.
Do you think it would be beneficial to cut back slowly, so that it's easier for my body to adapt? Or do you think it will make little difference?

Thanks
Zoe
 
Zozo: I recently was forced by injury to have to sit, literally, for 5 weeks. Prior to that I was working out 10 hours per week, between STS, cycling, and other dvds.

I was so upset to not be able to do ANY form of exercise whatsoever....but you know what happened? My appetite decreased radically...and during that time I actually was able to lose 6-7 pounds because I was not so famished all the time from exercising so much. Taking a break, in some ways, has been good, (though it was forced) and now I hope that when I can start again full-on, I will be more circumspect about how I am exercising.

Also, a big part of weight gain is my own inability to say NO to too much or unhealthy food. I can choose to say NO, as can you!!!!

Also, I found my body was tired and I was over-training, which I think led, in part, to my injury. I would hate this to happen to you :) !

I wish you the best!
 
Hey Zozo:

there are two interesting things you said that strike me: you "can't get your head around" not doing so much cardio, and it's the only time you manage to "blow off steam."

I think the real issue you have is psychological. You seem to think you NEED to do this much cardio or life as you know it will all go to hell. If cardio is the only time you blow off steam, your stress levels are probably too high and you could do with finding other ways to help deal with it before injury comes calling and sidelines you completely. How will you relax then?!

So yes, I think the extra time for relaxation the reduced cardio option will afford you needs to go on the Zozo relaxation plan. Yoga and flexibility will help here and since they are active forms of seeking stress relief, they should be your first port of call. Gradually, though, I think you need to seek out some non-active ways of stress relief and then you need to believe that you are entitled to pursue them, that you do not need to be active all the time. It is totally OK to read, watch TV or a good movie, sit around painting your nails, browse trashy magazines in a book store while you grab a coffee or a smoothie or meet with friends to go for a walk (not an enforced 5 mile march!).

You don't have to be "achieving" all the time. What you need to start achieving is relaxation!

Clare
 
You indicate you'd like to do more flexibility training. Why not swap out some of that cardio for power yoga? It's flexibility training and it's challenging enough to satisfy your cardio jones. Two for one!
 
Decreasing your cardio won't make you gain weight if you also remember to lower your caloric intake during that transitional period to being less active. I don't see the necessity for the additional cardio sessions in the evening over and above your morning sessions. Also, you really shouldn't be doing HIIT that frequently. Try switching out a HIIT session for (as suggested by NY25) some yoga. I also like to do a simple meditation session before I go to sleep which really helps with stress and doesn't put any pressure on the joints. You will be ok!!
 
tralaiven said:
Zozo: I recently was forced by injury to have to sit, literally, for 5 weeks. Prior to that I was working out 10 hours per week, between STS, cycling, and other dvds.

I was so upset to not be able to do ANY form of exercise whatsoever....but you know what happened? My appetite decreased radically...and during that time I actually was able to lose 6-7 pounds because I was not so famished all the time from exercising so much. Taking a break, in some ways, has been good, (though it was forced) and now I hope that when I can start again full-on, I will be more circumspect about how I am exercising.

Also, a big part of weight gain is my own inability to say NO to too much or unhealthy food. I can choose to say NO, as can you!!!!

Also, I found my body was tired and I was over-training, which I think led, in part, to my injury. I would hate this to happen to you :) !

I wish you the best!
Click to expand...


I would have to say that I wholeheartedly agree w/this. I too have been nursing an injury for almost 2 months now, with at least 4-6 of those weeks being cardio free. (It's an achilles injury - brought on by over doing the cardio :eek: - I didn't think I was overdoing it at the time, but my body said enough was enough). Anyway, being that it's nearly impossible to get the heart rate up w/o being able to use my feet, I finally gave up, listened to doctor's orders and just rested and did any upper body weight that I could, and lots of flexibility/rehab work on my lower body on in-between days. The result? I went from 6-7 days of cardio that I'd been doing, down to none...lost another 3lbs (I was already at my goal weight, so wasn't expecting that :confused: ) and just last week I had to finally bite the bullet and by 2 new pair of pants (a size lower ;) ) because I was getting annoyed at my old ones not fitting properly. My body clearly needed the rest that it has gotten from this injury, and I finally have time for all the w/o's that I used to say I wanted to "fit in" my schedule but never could quite do (ab work, stretching, pilates, etc)...
 
tralaiven said:
Zozo: I recently was forced by injury to have to sit, literally, for 5 weeks. Prior to that I was working out 10 hours per week, between STS, cycling, and other dvds.

I was so upset to not be able to do ANY form of exercise whatsoever....but you know what happened? My appetite decreased radically...and during that time I actually was able to lose 6-7 pounds because I was not so famished all the time from exercising so much. Taking a break, in some ways, has been good, (though it was forced) and now I hope that when I can start again full-on, I will be more circumspect about how I am exercising.


I wish you the best!
Click to expand...

This was my exact experience! In fact, Tracy, KiKi and I have discussed this very thing.

My injury was a broken wrist. It took me out of intense exercising for about 8 weeks. I actually did some running while in my cast, but nothing else and it wasn't nearly as intense. I lost weight.

I find that exercise increases my appetite. It's what keeps weight ON me, which is what I need. I tend to lose weight quickly and that's not a good thing for me. So, moral to these stories... if you cut the cardio you will also slow down on the food and you'll drop a few pounds.
 
Thanks for all the help. I think I will try to cut out the evening cardio sessions and replace them with yoga of some sort. I guess it's a matter of working out more efficiently, rather than more often! So I think cutting down on my cardio and upping the yoga and relaxation is worth -at least- a trial run :)

Thank you everyone
 
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