Importance of Diet and Cardio!
Importance of Diet and Cardio
The other day one of our personal training clients called and told me he was thinking about discontinuing working out with us and instead taking up kickboxing. His reasoning was that although his muscles had increased in size and that he was looking and feeling better, his waistline hadn’t slimmed down much. Now keep in mind this particular client wasn’t doing any of the cardio that was prescribed for him; and his idea of following a diet was going to a restaurant and ordering a burger minus the bun. Not to mention all the scotch and bourbon he would enjoy when he would go out of town every other weekend. My point is, weight training alone is not going to get the job done when you’re trying to significantly reduce your body fat. You have to incorporate some form of diet and cardio to help you attain that lean physique.
A good diet consisting of a variety of lean proteins, low glycemic carbohydrates, and poly/monounsaturated fats is what is needed to lower your body fat percentage. Eating foods like this are going to help create a favorable hormonal balance in your body to get into fat burning mode. Once your body is in the fat burning mode, you actually have to burn the fat by creating a caloric deficit. And how do we create a caloric deficit in the body? By doing cardio.
Running, biking, swimming, and hiking are all some very good forms of cardio. Cardio doesn’t have to be boring. You can go out and play a game of basketball, or do some jumping rope. All you’re trying to do is work up a sweat and burn some extra calories. And in the instance the weather is bad, or it’s too cold outside, refer to our training tip on 4 exercises you can do at home.
So if you’ve been weight training and don’t feel you’re getting the results you’re after, try adding a good diet and a bit of cardio to your program. I’ll bet you’ll be pleased with the results. For more information on nutrition, strength training, losing fat, building muscle, or if you’re not happy with your current level of fitness and are looking to hire a personal trainer, contact us.
