Ever wonder which is better for burning fat ? low or high intensity cardio? Many people have wondered and scientists have been studying this question for years. Simply put, both have their benefits when it comes to weight loss.
High intensity exercise first burns glycogen, which is just a fancy name for the excess carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy. On the other hand low intensity exercise burns fat stores. Well what happens when the glycogen stores are burnt up during high intensity cardio? The energy needed to fuel the workout has to come from somewhere, so your body then goes to the fat stores for its replenishment. So in effect, both high and low can be good for weight loss.
You may be wondering why there are still so many obese people in the world when many of them are doing some cardio exercise. The problem may be that they stick with the low intensity program and never push themselves to achieve more or to reach that high intensity level to peak their energy burning internal system.
While burning lots of calories can be more easily achieved by doing high intensity cardio, it can also burn fat stores as well. Low intensity cardio like swimming and walking does burn more fat cells than calories.
As if that wasn?t great enough, when you continually make high intensity cardio a part of your workout routine, you can eat more complex carbohydrates without worrying about them being stored as fat. With a routine of cardio exercise of both high and low intensity your body becomes like a well oiled machine, efficiently burning fat and glycogen and converting new foods you eat into more energy (glycogen) for later burning. The more energy you burn, the more you replenish for future burning.
High intensity cardio not only burns the calories fast during your workout but it also continues to burn them hours later, dipping into the fat stores as well, once the glycogen is burned up that is. Low intensity cardio doesn?t have that same effect on your body.
Again, it bears repeating high intensity cardio is the best for burning more calories for a longer period of time, low intensity does not.
The best way to interject some high intensity cardio exercise is through interval training. You can alternate your walking with bursts of high intensity sprints or jogging. Alternate 5 minutes of walking, with 3 minutes of high intensity cardio, then walking again for 5 minutes to catch your breath. You can work your way up to doing more lengthy high intensity intervals. As you become more fit, the easier it will be. Finish your workout with a nice walking cool down.
Another excellent reason for doing cardio exercise is that it increases your energy. The more you work out, the more energy you will have to work out and do more things in your life. Early morning cardio is a great way to jumpstart your day, you will start off the day burning calories and fat.
If you?ve never made cardio exercise a part of your life, do it now. The health benefits of more energy and efficient fat and energy burning is outstanding. Start slow and work your way up to a consistent routine of both low and high intensity cardio. A check up with your doctor before beginning any exercise routine is recommended, especially if you have medical issues such as obesity and others. Anybody can get healthier with a steady routine of cardio. Enjoy.
