If you asked me two years ago what I did to workout, I'd say cardio.
"Cardio! I love it! It's great!"
It wasn't great. I didn't love it.
I wanted to. But I didn't.
I wanted to because I saw the ads on TV of people "loving it" and they're super real totally obtainable results. (That's deeply coated in sarcasm.)
I wanted to be like that person on TV! Smiling through the jumps! Going super hard without missing a beat! Glistening, not sweating!
Lifting weights sounded boring. I like to move. Standing still and moving a thing up and down and that's it? Where's my elevated heart rate? If I don't elevate my heart rate I can't possibly burn any fat. My Fitbit says so! Shaun T says so! DIIIIIG DEEPER!
I thought cardio was the end all be all. I thought I just needed to go super duper hard for 45 minutes to an hour, and then I could eat as much as I wanted, get a 6 pack and get arms like a Disney Prince! (Isn't that every girls dream?)
Ha.
Did I lose some fat? Sure. Did I also lose some muscle? Yeah, most definitely.
Did I dread almost every fucking workout? You fucking bet.
I wasn't seeing the results I wanted. I didn't have a 6 pack, or arms like a Disney prince, and I was tired. All the time.
"But I'm eating clean!"
I finally began doing this thing called research, and not just get all of my information from late night info ads on TV.
Turns out, cardio isn't *that* great for fat loss. Turns out, "eating clean" is kinda fucking bullshit. Because no matter what, if you eat too many calories, you won't lose fat. Turns out, when it comes to losing fat, calories *are* created equal. And this vegetarian diet I was on, partly because I thought it was healthier, was not getting me sufficient enough protein. (But more on that in another post.)
I started lifting weights. And it turns out IT WASN'T BORING. I went into the gym with a workout plan, a simple sheet of paper that told me how many times to lift the thing and how long to rest before lifting up the other things and my heart seemed to be beating pretty good and I didn't have to do 10 million fucking diamond jumps. Ever again. Like, ever.
Here's what's up: when you are in a calorie deficit, and you do a shit ton of cardio, and don't lift weights, you lose muscle. Which is fine if you want that super flat butt.
I don't.
When you're in a calorie deficit, and you lift weights, you burn fat and *preserve muscle*. (You might be able to gain a bit of muscle, but again, that's another post.)
So now, I watch what I eat via tracking my macros, I lift weights, which burns calories and keeps my butt looking good, and thereby I lose fat. My diet is balanced with lean meats and veggies, but also ice cream and burritos.
I still do cardio - but the kind I enjoy - mostly riding my bike and playing soccer, occasional runs with my pup.
If I need more, I just lift weights faster.
I said "I" a lot in this post. Because I want you to know where I started and how I got to be where I am now. I want you to see that I started lifting weights and I didn't get bulky. I stopped doing (a lot of) cardio and didn't suddenly gain any weight and my heart wasn't suddenly less healthy. I don't dread working out anymore.
Walk into any gym and you'll see more ladies on the cardio machines and more guys using the free weights. Females are taught to stick to machines. And some of those females stick to machines because of that and some out of fear of using "big, heavy equipment". Your membership covers the whole gym. Not just one section. Use it.
Lift those weights. Become strong as fuck.
If you like doing cardio, like actually really like it, go for it. But I don't want you feeling like you have to do it.
Find the workout you enjoy the most - that's going to be the one you stick to.
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