Frustration and Cardio

Living a "healthy lifestyle" can bring frustration just like living an "unhealthy lifestyle" can.  It might come in different forms, but the frustration is still there, no matter what kind of lifestyle you lead. 

I am going to share my own experience.  

A long, long time ago, in a far-away land called "Michigan," I lost over 160 pounds. I really thought my life would be magically changed when the weight came off. No more feeling "fat," I would always have a good hair, I would feel AMAZING, get along with everyone, in turn everyone would love me, and etc.  

Sadly that is not what has happened -- but let me tell you things are so much better than they have ever been.  Don't get me wrong I have bad days, just ask my friends that for some reason still listen to me.  Like right now. I have been struggling with my weight and injuries.  The other day I was riding my bike -- right now running is not my friend.  I still try to run twice a week but at around the 30 minute mark,  my Achilles starts to let me know that I am injured.  Yes I could keep running and ignore the pain- I have done so in the past... but that is why my Achilles is a mess. 

Okay, back to the bike ride (yes I chase rabbits…focus!).  I love riding my bike. It is my time to relax and yell at motorists for getting too close to me.  Yes, I do yell at people and I am not ashamed of my craziness.  While riding, I couldn't get the nagging feeling to go away. I was frustrated- I kept thinking, "I should be running right now, not biking. Get with it, Amy! Suck it up!"  

Then I started to get angry about it, "Why do I need to run?  I know tons of different exercises, I love boxing, riding my bike, CrossFit, lifting, sandbags, sandbells… seriously, Amy, what is your  problem!”  

I was making it a problem not embracing the fact that I can do all of that other stuff.

Thinking back 12 years ago I would have grabbed a bag of Doritos and smashed them inside a peanut butter sandwich to make myself feel better.  Instead I was out riding my bike to make myself feel better.  Right there was progress and I was finally embracing me!  

While giving myself a mental high-five, I turned my thoughts to my weight.  I don't weigh what I used to weight I'm not even close to 300 pounds.  I told myself, “This is good.  I workout more than ever and eat amazingly well.  OK, not perfect but no one is perfect!” 

Am I always improving my eating habits? Yes!  I eat mostly organic, don't drink Diet Mountain Dew anymore (or any soda), and try to stay away from processed foods.  I love lemon water, love Brussels sprouts (don't judge me), and looooove Hummus!  I’m doing ok- screw the numbers on the scale! I feel good.

“But the stress is there! Could that be why the scale is creeping up on me? Holy moly, I quit my job to run my own business and to spend more time with my family, but I need to expand the business!  But I love running my own business! Could the stress be taking its toll though? Am I doing too much? Too little? I need a doughnut.”

I am not telling you this because I think I am “all that."  Trust me, it’s crazy in my head, and you don't want to be in there at all.  

What I am saying is take a bike ride or a walk – just you. Take a hard look at where you were and where you are now.  You will be amazed at the changes in your life.  Take time to say to yourself, "I am doing this!"  Focus on the positive and really allow yourself to enjoy where you are at, not where you think you have to be today.  

Maybe, the second time around, take someone with you on that bike ride or long walk. Sometimes we need to someone else to help us see the positive when we are not there yet.  You have to be willing to listen to that person and except the positive feedback they give you. Take time to face yourself and have a real heart to heart.  

And maybe, just maybe, you’re overdoing it. Don’t just go for a run 4 times a week and ignore weight training. Do some resistance training, some weights, something different! And there’s science to back me up on this: 

LiveStrong.com had an article about how cardio can make you fat. Before you read this, know that I am not against cardio! It just needs to be a part of your workout routine, not every part. 

Here is how the body responds to endurance training: 

1. Endurance training raises stress hormones. Cortisol is your stress hormone that stores fat and breaks down lean muscle tissue. Muscle, which I call your body's "natural Spanx," helps boost your metabolism all day.

2. Endurance exercise doesn't require post-workout repair. Lower- and moderate-intensity don't require any metabolic post-exercise repair. In other words, fat burning and metabolism are not enhanced post-workout, so you get limited overall metabolic benefits.

3. Endurance exercise burns fewer calories. Because of its high intensity, burst training demands more calories.

Here is how the body responds to burst training:

1. Burst training raises your anabolic hormones. Exercise raises your stress hormones, period. But with burst training, you're also raising anabolic (building) hormones that counteract the stress hormones' negative effects.

2. Burst training helps your body handle stress and recover more efficiently.

3. Burst training raises lactic acid. Increased amounts of lactic acid spike growth hormone and support fat burning.

4. Burst training creates a bigger metabolic cost. In other words, metabolic recovery burns more calories (particularly fat calories) after you exercise. That's why I say burst to blast fat: burst training makes you an all-day fat-burning machine.

You really need to a have a wide variety in your workout.  If your weight is at a stand-still or you are gaining weight, you need to look at your eating first and your workout second. If you go through your eating journals and don't feel that is the problem, take inventory of your workout.  You have to keep the body guessing!  You know how you have to keep variety in your diet to get the most health benefits? You need to make sure you are doing the same for working out.  

Also, remember everybody is different. You just can't grab a book on running and assume the information in the book is designed exactly for your body.  You have to find out what works for your body, and that means trying new things. Just because you found something you think works doesn't mean it is for you if you are not getting the results you want or need.  Setting goals is amazing and a great thing to do but make sure your goal is not getting in the way of what your body is trying to tell you. 

Tell me how I can help you set your new goals! Sign up for a training appointment today, or post your questions below!