Great point healthy2b. If you are working out too high during your cardio, you are increasing your indurance and not burning fat. Fat burning occurs when you are working at about 60% of your max. heart rate for a longer period of time. It is however, good to throw in an interval session once or once every other week!!!

hellcat, great point about keeping a journal before seeing the nutritionalist!!!!

I didn't know this. I frequently check my heart rate when I am using the treadmill and elliptical and occasionally it goes over my "zone" (146 - 173). My weight loss has always been slow, I eat clean, between 1000 and 1600 cals a day and work out 5 days a week with cardio every day. I wonder if I have been just building up my endurance?

There always seems to be something I discover that I need to change or that I'm not doing right. One day I will get this weight loss thing understood :mad:.

As for the muscle build, last year I put on 6lb of muscle, lost 12lb of fat and dropped my body fat % by 3%. Not sure if this is the norm or not but that's what my result was for last year.

Edit: should probably add my regime (which I started new in Jan 06) is this:-

Mon - 30 mins elliptical, 45 - 50 mins circuit training w/full body weights
Tue - 1 hour cardio split with 30 mins elliptical, 30 mins treadmill
Wed - repeat of Mon
Thur - repeat of Tue
Frie - repeat of Mon

Lynne - please don't be concerned about working over your 'zone' when you do cardio. The idea of a 'fat-burning zone' is really a myth -- my personal trainer's textbook devoted a whole section to explaining why it isn't true.

You see, we do indeed burn a higher percentage of calories from fat at lower intensities but we burn more total calories at higher intensities. And it's calories in versus calories out that matters in the end. Working at higher intensities does a lot more than just build endurance - you burn a ton of calories (which helps with weight loss) and you're strengthening your cardiorespiratory sysytem.

The best cardio workouts (over the course of a week) are a mix of moderate intensity, high intensity, and cardio intervals (alternating lower and higher intensities).

I think your workout routine sounds fine the way it is - it's a nice mix of cardio and weights. You had great results last year! :D

Thank you Meg, I've been talking with sweetpea81 who has been giving me some excellent advice also a lot of which correlates with yours :).

I was pretty pleased with my results of last year too :D.

I by no means meant that the only thing you are doing at a higher intensity is build endurance:o , you are right, you also burn more overall calories. But, as you mentioned, more calories from fat are burned at longer lower intensity (steady state) cardio. It basically boils down to your goals and how far out you are from them. The closer you get to your goal, the more likely it is you'll be more concerned w/burning more fat from calories to get the lean toned look. However, I agree 100% :smug: w/mixed cardio over the course of the week as the best approach. Otherwise our bodies adapt if we keep it the same all the time. :goodvibes


LynnA, you are doing a great job and what works for your body. Keep listening to it girl and you will continue with your progress!!!:carrot: