Is cardio really a must have?
 

Hello! I work as a nurse aide. I pretty much log around 10,000-16,000 steps a day while pushing, tugging and lifting. If I were to eat a moderate diet, I could maintain or lost a little bit with all the activity.

I know an ideal routine includes cardio and weight training. I was reading Bob Greene's book. And one of the "activity levels" is just 10,000 steps plus weight training. This got me thinking. I'm wanting to start losing weight again but I have done a lot of "gung ho perfect plans" for a week and then drop it. I was thinking that it would be more feasible for me to just start on weight training and as my body gets more acclimated to even MORE movement, that I can start cardio.

Would no cardio, relying on steps only with strength training derail my weight loss efforts? I would eventually add cardio in or when I'm feeling strong/off work.

I don't think that cardio is a 'must do' for weight loss, but it's good for cardiovascular health (you know this.) Usually diet is the driving force to shed weight. You can lose weight by not doing cardio, esp at your activity level, but you arent doing your heart any favors.

Well for me, a week that I don't do cardio I lost nothing - .5 pounds. Other weeks were I do a lot of cardio I loose 2 - 3 pounds. So I don't think it is a MUST because people all the time loose weight without cardio, but cardio will speed up the weight loss.

Exercise is very individual. If I had to choose only one from of physical activity I wouldn't think twice about ditching straight up cardio in favor of keeping all my weights and kettlebells. You could try like 10 minutes of simple cardio like marching in place and jumping jacks or what not but adding weights and then changing from there probably wouldn't be a bad thing. Any new activity is good activity. : )

If you go to the maintainers forum and read some of their bio's, I'll bet you'll find that many of them started with something and kind of patched together a plan as they went along.

You don't have to do 100% of everything perfectly from day one. What's the fun in that journey? Go ahead Daimere learn as you go and enjoy the discoveries.

Any exercise you actually do is more effective than an exercise you sit around and feel guilty about not doing.

Love it Shmead! That is a quotable quote!

Originally Posted by Shmead:
Any exercise you actually do is more effective than an exercise you sit around and feel guilty about not doing.

Agree :yes: very quotable quote ...