Is there a difference ?

[Mrsscififanec]

Hi,
Need some advice here,wow you guys sure know your stuff here so maybe you can help me.I am trying to lean out a bit and gain some muscle mass so i weight train 3 x a week ( 1 all upper,1 all lower, 1 total body, on non-consecutive day's of course) and i do on the in between days (twice a week ) 2 really tough ( for me at least ,lol ) cardio sessions.Now i know everyone will say 2 cardio's per week is'nt enough but heres the thing i have a lot of grass to cut so i break it up and do it in 2, 1 1/2 hours 1 day 1 1/2 the next,(about 3 hours total) i use a push mower so i do get my heart rate up there . I was wondering if there is a difference between the benefits you receive doing work that gets your heart rate up and say doing a cardio video? I have health issues so i only have but so much energy so would like to know if i should break out my riding lawn mower instead and do more videos or am i getting enough benifits now considering my grass cutting as cardio work ? Thanks for any thoughts on the matter !

 

[Kat2002]

I'm no expert, but I think housework/yardwork definately doubles as exercise. If your heartrate is up when you're doing your push mowing then it seems to me you're getting your workout and yardwork done at the same time, which is great!

 

[Jcrew3082]

Hi Mrsscififanec,

While there's a definite difference between your heart rate rising during cardio versus lifting weights, for aerobic purposes, anything that gets your heart rate up, whether it be an actual video or gardening, is fine. Cutting grass can be considered cardiovascular if you are actively moving your major muscle groups most of the time. What matters is challenging the heart, not so much how you do it.

Gina

 

[Mrsscififanec]

Hi,thanks you guys for the responses , i felt silly for asking because i thought there wasn't a difference but i got to thinking about it and wasn't sure so i appreciate it.Now if i could just get people to stop looking at me strangely when i am doing my heartrate check while i'm mowing i'll be all set ,lol !!
Thanks again, Beth