In previous parts of this series we talked about weight training and diet.  What about cardio and diet?

The rules for cardio and diet are the same as weight training– do everything you can to put the body into a caloric deficit, while simultaneously doing everything possible to keep the metabolism high. If you achieve this, you’ll achieve your health and fitness goals.

The body has two basic fuel sources, fat and carbohydrate (or sugars). Sugars come from the foods that we eat, and act as a short-term energy source in the body. If you do not use up your sugars within a certain amount of time, or you take in more than you can use, they will store as fat.

Whenever you are doing any activity, you are burning from a combination of your fat energy source and your sugar energy source. As a general rule, higher exertion levels are going to burn a higher percentage of sugar, while lower exertion levels are going to burn a higher percentage of fat. While doing your cardio, we want to find the rate where you are burning the highest possible amount of fat, so that you spend your time in the gym and on the treadmill being efficient at pursuing your weight-loss goals, rather than just spinning your wheels. Burn the fat, not the time.

Because of this, Lifetime Fitness promotes Heart Rate Zone Training. Everything we do in terms of our cardio programming is based on doing your cardio within the proper heart rate zone. Work too hard, and your burn nothing but sugars, or worse yet, muscle tissue. Work not hard enough, you waste your time and don’t burn enough fat. Work out just right, and see success.

Finally, there is the nutrition component. I already covered that you have to be in a caloric deficit in order to see your weight loss results. However, there are more rules than that. First of all, you want to do everything in your power to keep your metabolism high while in this caloric deficit. The first thing to mention here is switching from eating 1-2 large meals per day, to eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day. This alone will help to keep your metabolism high.

However, the main thing you’re going to find with the nutrition component is the same thing as the cardio component. If you overeat, you obviously won’t be in the caloric deficit that is needed to lose body fat. However, if you <em>undereat</em>, you will put your body into starvation mode. Again, remember, the body is efficient and will adapt to the circumstances you find it in. If you try to drop your calories too low and starve yourself to success, you will ultimately fail– you will slow your metabolism, you will lose muscle tissue in addition to the body fat you had hoped to lose, you will probably get sick, and the minute you start eating somewhat normal again, you will regain every pound you lost (because of the slowed metabolism), plus interest. Fun, right? So again, the thing to look for is the <em>proper</em> caloric level in order to achieve your goals.