Metabolism is the key to fat burning.  Muscles on the body are more metabolically active than our stored fat is.  The more we exercise, the more load (stress) we place on our bodies.  Stress breaks down the muscle tissue (known as a catabolic effect).  If we have enough proper nutrition and restorative sleep, our muscles can grow back stronger, meaning all that heavy lifting and high intensity cardio can actually make us metabolic machines.

But, if we do not lend to the body’s nutrition and sleep needs after a workout, the muscle will not restore itself and the break down will cause a loss of the very thing that burns calories most efficiently.

The take-away here is NOT that you don’t need any more cardio; but if you’ve caught yourself thinking hours on the treadmill is the answer to leaning down, then heed our words of caution.  You may get results you weren’t aiming for.

This is the first in a series of posts about the sometimes counter-intuitive relationship between exercise and results.  In the coming days, you’ll learn more about metabolism, the way your body stores fat, and how the way you work out could actually be having the opposite effect if you’re not fueling your body with the correct amount of calories.

The “talk test” is one good method. You know you’re at the right level when you’re able to carry on a conversation and still breathe comfortably — But not be able to sing.

But in general, you want to be exercising at 55% to 85% of your maximum heart rate.

Understand the heart rate zone that is right for your personal goals. If you have weight loss or body fat composition goals, then understand how many calories you want to burn, so that you are meeting the exercise objectives that will optimize your cardio.

But don’t get bogged down by thinking that “cardio” is another task that has to be worked into the day. Grab someone you love, get moving and enjoy a smile or two in the process!

Children operate in every plane of motion, balancing in awkward positions and going until they just plain tucker-out. If we can apply that example into our daily lives, we too can keep our bodies trained.

Playing recreational sports, raking leaves to throw the kids into, building forts and playing red-rover, or simply being competitive when outside hiking with a buddy—if you enjoy a moment, you will likely give your all to it!

And again, change it up. You may want to keep up with the Stronger U Fitness scheduled events or have a buddy that will get outdoors with you. Sometimes that extra person is what you need to get you into those more public areas.

If you make it a game of visiting different trails each week, you’ll see more of the metro and state itself, as well as have fun—keeping your mind off that nasty word, “exercise”. Weather can be a downside to outdoor exercise, so having a backup plan is a good idea.

First, water adds resistance. So you’re building strength and endurance as you build cardiovascular fitness. The fact that there is no impact on your body makes swimming a great alternative for people with back pains and joint limitations that make weight bearing difficult.

An additional benefit of swimming is burning a higher rate of calories because of the greater relationship between resistance and simultaneous movement. Of course to make this exercise possible, you need ready access to a pool.

Plus, they come in many varieties: boot camp, zumba, step, spinning, kickboxing and more. It’s tough to get bored — and easy to become engaged — as an instructor uses upbeat music and consistent cues to keep you going. What you want to watch out for with classes is making sure they fit your level. Does the class go faster than you can keep up with, or do you feel like you might get hurt (can’t perform a certain movement in the time allowed)?

In that case, either slow down and do your own thing… or ask for a more appropriate class. The alternate can also be true. If you’re more advanced, you might find that you need to speed up or add movement if your heart rate isn’t as high as you’d like.

Consider cardio machines. In any gym you will see a variety of machines all designed to keep you moving. Their benefits are easy access and fairly user friendliness. Once you understand how to get the machine working, you can essentially keep up with the speed and achieve your desired outcome. The downside to machines is that they can get old. The best bet is changing it up—having two or three you can alternate in between can keep it more interesting. Treadmills, ellipticals, stair machines and stationary bikes all fall into this category.

As an added benefit, newer machines may be able to read and display readings from your heart rate monitor without you needing to keep your hands on the sensors.

Remember that cardio training simply refers to elevating your heart rate into an appropriate training zone (usually 60-85% of your maximum capability), and being able to maintain training inside that zone for a period of time. The aim of a healthy cardio training program is reaching a minimum of 30 minutes/5 days per week inside your personal training zone.

There are plenty of ways to make this happen. Even without running.