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F$%& Cardio! Focus on THIS Instead!
When it comes to cardio, often a debate centers around what is the best type of cardio—running, biking, swimming, walking, treadmill, etc. However, a growing body of research suggests that for most people, it just comes down to the total number of steps you take daily and weekly. STEPS have been the true KING of cardio the entire time.
In order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. While exercise is the gold standard for burning calories, it doesn’t always have to involve traditional exercise or workouts. You can also lose weight by simply cutting back on the amount of food you eat, by incorporating more activity into your routine, or both. On the flip side, you could attempt to out exercise your diet but you’ll be doing a s*** load of exercise and end of being super tired.
When I used to train clients for a company in New York City I would meet a lot of fitness professionals that competed in physique competitions. These people, by nature, are excellent at cutting body fat, they have to be. They would always tell me, when referencing how they burn calories, “it all counts.” What they were referring to was walking to and from the subway, grocery shopping, walking around at work, walking home, cleaning house, etc. I didn’t realize why it all counted until science started supporting the facts.
Step count serves as a simple, universally applicable measure of physical activity. But as it turns out, it’s really all that matters for most people.
Structured cardio workouts such as the elliptical, row machine, treadmill, stair climber or spin bikes require specific equipment and time commitments. People will also swear by one cardio workout being better than another. Do not get caught up in all the hoopla. Here is the actual truth.
The Truth
Intensity burns calories. But so does time.
When it comes to burning calories (not training for athletic performance), your step count appears to be what matters most when losing weight (not including diet). Does running for three miles burn a lot of calories and make you feel great after a good sweat? Sure does. But you can also walk for three miles, accrue the same amount of steps and burn a similar amount of calories. The difference is just time spent during the activity. If I wanted to travel from location A to location B, it would require me to use a certain amount of energy (calories) to travel that distance. If I travel at a much faster speed (running), it would require more calories burned, but I would get to location B faster. If I didn’t care about time, I would just walk from location A to location B over a longer period of time (more time spent exercising/walking) and burn the same about of calories … it would just take much longer.
If you are someone who feels like they have to sweat their ass off and push themselves to exhaustion, go for it. But if you don’t want to push yourself, have physical limitations, bad knees, etc., you can simply hit your step goal and make similar progress.
Resistance training, aka lifting weights, is the best body-changing exercise you’ll ever do. It’s the one type of exercise that is unparalleled and irreplaceable. Cardio comes in all shapes and sizes, but there is no superior variation when it comes to losing weight. Whether you’re walking to the store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, pacing during a phone call or hitting the trails or treadmill, it all counts the same way as long as you hit your step-count goal.
The biggest challenge for people when it comes to exercise is adherence. Between the challenge of time, amount of effort or physical limitations, excuses are of plenty when it comes to exercise. Now looking at exercise in terms of steps changes the game. Fitting in exercise no longer becomes a challenge. Now it all counts … just make sure you are moving enough. Let’s get into it.
Prioritize Steps
If losing weight is your goal, you need to make sure you have your diet in check. Burn more calories than you consume. In order to burn those calories, prioritize steps.
In order to count steps you’re going to need a step tracker. This can be an Apple Watch, FitBit or similar. If you never exercise, start with a daily step goal of 5,000 steps and a weekly goal of 30,000 steps. This means you’re moving with a purpose six days per week. In order to hit 5,000 steps you will have to actually try. For most people, 5,000 steps likely won’t be enough.
Aim for 8,000–10,000 steps per day, which adds up to 48,000–60,000 steps per week. Your daily totals can vary—5k one day, 8k the next—as long as your steps hit your weekly goal. And for the love of all things skinny, stick to a diet!
Ways to increase your step count per day
- Workout at the gym
- Go for a walk or jog
- Park further away from your destination.
- Take walking meetings or phone calls.
- Use stairs instead of elevators.
- Clean your house
- Go shopping
- Walk the dog more often
- Go hiking
- Listen to a podcast or audio book while walking
While structured cardio workouts have their place, the total number of steps you take each day and week is much more sustainable and may have a greater overall impact on your health. By prioritizing step count, you can maintain a more active lifestyle, reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting, lose weight, manage weight and look dead sexy in all your clothes. So lace up your shoes and take that first step—it’s one of the most important ones you’ll ever take.
There you have it. You can do cardio if you prefer, but it’s just not necessary if weight loss is your goal. Set a daily step goal and hit that six days a week. Incorporate a good diet and you’ll be slim and trim in no time.
Stay cozy.
Have a cheat day!
LYLAB and LYLAS.
