I’m asked all the time “how much extra cardio do I need to do to get rid of this pooch/flab/belly/etc/etc” and my answer is always exactly the same:
NONE.
People don’t realize how fast calories can add up… and how hard it is to burn them off.
Let’s take a look at a very simple number: 3500. Its 3500 calories that add up to one pound of weight gain. Looking at that number you might think “man, that is a ton of calories and way more than I eat in a day, what’s the big deal?”
When you break down an average fast food meal:
- Burger – 650 avg cals
- Fries – 350 avg cals
- Soda – 110 avg cals
Adding that all up we come to 1110 calories, creeping up on a third of our 3500 number from before and near what many of our clients eat in an entire day!
So getting back to our “how much cardio do I need to drop _____?” question, let’s take a look at a few normal cardio activities and how many calories they burn:
- Running (10 minute miles) – 800 avg cals per hour
- Jump Rope – 800 avg cals per hour
- Swimming – 700 avg cals per hour
- Biking – 650 avg cals per hour
- Juggling – 320 avg cals per hour
To work off your one overboard meal, you are putting in a minimum of about an hour and a half of cardio and that’s just to burn off that one meal!
When you start factoring in eating multiple bad meals a day, multiple times per week, multiple weeks per month, you are looking at tens of thousands of extra calories and why so many people struggle when trying to drop weight.
The best advice I can give anyone is this: working out will do wonders for you, you’ll improve your health and cardio, improve your strength, flexibility and attitude. You’ll build bone density and improve posture, not to mention all of the great things it will do for your outlook and mind.
Bottom line – if you want to make significant changes to your body you are going to need to make significant changes to the way you eat.
Don’t cheat yourself by busting your booty in the gym but eating garbage!
Want a good place to start? Check out this link – http://www.44fitness.com/blog/3-weight-loss-tips-to-help-build-a-healthier-lifestyle/