Why Cardio Isn't Everything

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A few years ago, I used running as my primary source of exercise. I would run between 6 to 10 miles three times a week. At first, it felt great, and I really enjoyed my runs. After a couple of years, running became more painful in my shins and knees. It got to the point where I'd have to take a couple of pain-killers before executing a run. I also noticed that running leaned me out a lot, but I also had very low muscle tone. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that running can improve your cardiovascular health and aids in weight loss. However, there are many reasons why you should consider weight lifting, and minimize your cardio session.
1) Weights will help you reshape your body and build lean muscle. While cardio will help you lose weight, it causes you to lose some muscle as well. This will give you that soft, "skinny-fat" appearance.

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If you want to look toned, you have to challenge the muscle... and what's a better way to achieve that than resistance training. I'm not talking about those little 5 lbs dumbbells. YOU NEED TO LIFT HEAVY. Women tend to shy away from lifting heavy because they are afraid of getting "big" like a body builder. Unless you are taking supplements, your body does not produce enough testosterone to look like a dude.

2) Cardio will increase your appetite. Yes, cardio increases your appetite more than weight training. And that brings me to my third point...

3) Weight training burns more calories than cardio. It's true that your burn a lot while doing cardio. But with weight training, you burn calories during AND after your workout. This is because the more muscles you have, the more calories you burn...in other words, your Resting Metabolic Rate increases, which means your body will burn calories even when you're inactive. Who doesn't want that?!

4) You can actually get enough cardio through your strength training. It depends on how you work out. If you minimize your rest periods between sets, you will feel your heart rate begin to increase. Try doing some pushups or planks between your reps or limit your rest period for 30 seconds or less.

With all that said, I AM NOT suggesting you eliminate cardio completely from your workout. I am suggesting that instead of blowing away precious time primarily doing cardio, try doing 20 mins of cardio as a worm-up before you strength train. Or even try combining cardio with strength training by doing HIIT. (Definitely a time-saver).