Is Cardiovascular Exercise Necessary For Burning Fat?

The short answer: sometimes. I know, who wants to hear that? Let me explain.

Anyone looking to lose body fat can do so simply through a calorie deficit i.e. consuming less calories than you expend over a period of time. However, if your calories are already very low cardio can increase that deficit without dropping calories even further. Fortunately, most people don’t have to worry too often about the latter occurring.  Let’s focus on what cardio is, what are its benefits and if cardio is even necessary for fat loss!

Cardiovascular exercise includes low, moderate or high intensity aerobic exercise. It has shown to be beneficial for increasing cardiovascular health, improving blood pressure and even improving recovery, among other things. Many people assume that they cannot lose fat without doing cardio. Let’s make it clear, you don’t need to do any form of cardio to lose fat.

Additionally, if you’re trying to make up for an extra piece of cake or trying to shed fat solely through cardio, it simply isn’t efficient. I know what you’re probably saying ‘But I don’t wanna cut calories! I like food! Wouldn’t it be SO much easier to just be more active!’. It might be easier but trying to cut fat through cardio alone will take you a heck lot longer than simply eating less (assuming your not already eating bird-sized portions).

People assume it’s necessary to do a certain amount of cardio every day or x hours of cardio a week, which ultimately, can deter even the most active of people to work out. Although cardio has its benefits, very rarely is it ever prescribed as a stand-alone approach to weight loss. If anything, cardio isn’t necessary for burning fat at all because fat loss is a result of adjusting your calorie intake according to how much you’re burning. Therefore, putting yourself in a calorie deficit means that you’re more likely to see the majority of your results from the deficit alone.

The Fine Print

However, there are some exceptions. Maybe you like going for your one hour walk or 20 minute HIIT session*. It skyrockets your energy levels and you outright find it enjoyable! That’s your queue to go for it! Another exception would be if you find that you’re performing better in the gym or you’re recovering better.

However, here’s the even finer print.

We’re assuming that these cardio sessions aren’t causing more stress to an already stressed out body. What happens here is that frequent, high-intensity cardio sessions throughout the week can increase fatigue and makes it exceptionally difficult for your body to build muscle and recover effectively.

More on Fat Loss: ‘The treadmill monitor says I burned 2000 calories!’

Here’s the thing, the calorie burn from cardio is extremely difficult to estimate. You may look at your Fitbit monitor and see 2000 calories burned in 90 minutes but, unless you’re inputting your height and weight, the number is probably off by a substantial amount and even if you are, the number is still off. Additionally, the amount of extra calories burned on top of what you would have been doing otherwise is a very small amount in relation to the effort exerted, regardless of whether you’re at a desk job versus jogging for 30 minutes.

Another factor to consider if you depend on the ‘calories burned monitor’ is that you should be using the same monitor every time you perform your cardio for the sake of consistency. (now this isn’t a problem for some people but if you’re constantly using different machines, it can throw your numbers off by a lot!)

So what type of Cardio should I implement?

Low intensity steady-state cardio places minimal stress on the body while providing substantial cardiovascular benefits, promoting recovery, and can be somewhat enjoyable (or atleast not completely awful) so it can be a better option for many people. That means going on long walks or bike rides of maybe 45 minutes to an hour 1-2 times per week can still be meditative while still providing a range of cardiovascular benefits.

If you decide to incorporate cardio, do it because you enjoy it and you want the cardiovascular benefits.

Marie

Short Side Note:

A cardio exception (and I’ll touch on this VERY briefly) would be High Intensity Interval Training aka HIIT. For some reason, people LOVE HIIT. They really do! Sometimes for good reason. An example of HIIT would be, going 70% – 90% on the stationary bike for 1 minute and resting for 1 minute, then repeating that sequence for a total of 10 to 15 minutes. The benefits of HIIT are substantial.

1. It’s super quick. You can finish your cardio in 15 minutes tops which is great for people on a time crunch or those who just want to get in and get out.
2. It burns fat. Although it wouldn’t be substantial, it adds up over sessions, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t have that many calories give up. Additionally, the after-burn effect would also be present since it increases your metabolism for a few hours once you’re done.
3. It preserves muscle. This is self-explanatory. HIIT is great for preserving muscle versus traditional steady state, moderate intensity cardio which can have the opposite effect.
   However, HIIT can be quite stressful for many people and can also increase stress on your body. I suggest starting off slow or having someone monitor you. However, HIIT isn’t necessary and you don’t have to implement it if it’s not something you’re comfortable with or if it’s something you don’t really want to do.