I have a lot of questions about cardio

celebrian23

celebrian23

New member
Well, I don't know what else to do besides cardio workouts. I don't have any weights at home and I can't join any gyms, so I can't really do strength training. Is there something I can subsitute for weights? Should I be doing pilates or yoga? And then there's HIIT. As effective as this is, I just don't see how someone who hates, and I mean hates running would stick to it. I love cardio, but I've been told I'm doing too much of it, and it'll use up my muscles instead of burning fat. Once I get into exercise, I usually enjoy it and don't want to stop. I've been doing those workout videos and jump roping, plus a few simple pilates movements. I feel like I should be doing HIIT, but running is hte reason I quite playing lacrosse. I hate it so much. I think I would prefer to gouge out my eyes. And how much time should I spend on each different type of exercise?

Okay, my next set of questions deal with diet. Should I eat breakfast even though I'm not the least bit hungry for that meal? I just am not hungry until 1pm. I usually drink 2 cups of milk instead, to get in most of my calcium for the day. Should I try eating some veggies and fruit since they're lighter? Also, how many calories should I be consuming a day? I'm 17, and I thought 1400 would be a perfect amount, but it that not enough? I'm trying to average 2 pounds lost a week. Sorry for all the questions
 
Believe me, you are not alone when it comes to the hatred towards running. There are however many forms of effective cardiovascular activities other than a typical jog. I personally enjoy moderate intensity cardio kickboxing. This is something I can do at home and just have fun with.

Yes, when you limit your training to aerobic activities you will risk sacrificing muscle tissue for energy. Although this is a slow process, it can ultimately result in a slower metabolism.

Resistance training is an important factor in maintaining muscle tissue. You do not need a gym membership to perform resistance type exercises. To be honest with you, I have never had a gym membership in my life. Once you understand the basic biomechanics behind certain movements, you can exercise with just about any weighted household item.

As for your diet, 2 pounds a week is reasonable. I would however be cautious of an extremely low caloric intake. As long as you follow the general guidelines you should be fine. A great resource is

Some people have a difficult time eating breakfast. I would not try to force a meal, but instead ease into it by starting small. I am not going to preach the importance of breakfast but going until 1:00 on an empty stomach will only make your weight loss efforts that much more difficult.

I hope this was somewhat helpful
 
Thanks so much for the information, it was extremely helpful! I've started eating a light breakfast (oatmeal and fruit). My goal calories is now about 1800, which I think is a reasnoable amount for someone who isn't fully mature yet.
 
Also, when doing cardio, why don't your lower the intesity and go for a longer duration, so you are working in the fat burning zone. And buying some free weights isn't very expensive, and you'll get a really good work out with them. My friend built a LOT of muscles with only using free weights when he was 14.
 
I've been doing an hour of step aerobics, tae bo, and other stuff like that for my aerobics, is that not a long enough time period? I don't really want to build a lot of muscles really, and I really don't have a lot of money. I mean I'm buying some batteries today and that's an investment to me. I'll just have to get creative with my weight training
 
i think cardio for an hour is long enough. how many times a week do you do cardio?1800 cals a day is a good place to start. do it for a month and see if you keep loosing 2 lbs a week(if your not then you can lower your cals a little more and if your loosing more than 2 lbs a week you can up the cals)as for resistance training around home try push ups and crunches,squats ,lunges they use your body weight as resistance, cant think of any others of the top of my head(try a search for cheerleader exercises or body weight exercises something like that)if you ever get some funds then you can always get your self some weights or resistance bands. good luck :)
 
I'm doing cardio 4x a week. And I've started using my mom's 5 lb. weights for some weighlifting on my non-cardio days.
 
Thats great! do you have a routine that you follow for the weightlifting?
also HIIT doesnt have to be done with running, it can be done with most cardio exercises(stationary bike,elliptical,jump rope,and you can do a walk jog combo,ect)running is just the example most ppl give to explain how to do it. :)
 
I took a weightlifting class to fulfill 1/2 of my gym requirement to graduate, so I'm using some of the exercises I used in that class. Maybe I'll start jump roping using HIIT. Thanks for the information
 
Your welcome :) wish my high school would of had a weight lifting class that would have been great! :) jump rope is great cardio really kicks butt :D
 
You can also try weight training without weights.

Like push ups, deep knee bends, dips (which I do off the end of a chair), leg lifts, sit-ups and the like.
 
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