How Much Cardio Do You Really Need?

It seems like everyday there’s a different suggestion for how much exercise we need, especially when it comes to cardio. But the reason why there are so many different suggestions is that it really depends on your goals and where your body and health is at now.

If your goals are to lose weight, the key is of course to burn more calories than you take in. Sounds easy enough but then how do you explain all those people who’ve been running everyday for the past three years and haven’t lost any weight at all? Too much food, or the wrong foods altogether. So while someone will be getting the cardiovascular benefits of running they won’t necessarily be trimming up. And being overweight is one of the biggest things that leads to stress on the cardiovascular system to begin with.

Someone intending to lose weight not only needs to get around 45 minutes of cardio most days of the week, but they need to lighten up in the food department and start eating clean to get the body working most efficiently. People tend to over estimate how many calories they burn while working out, so you should never assume you have a deficit to fill unless you’re working out excessively or are completely ravenous.

Some people will find better results with scaling back the cardio a bit and adding more weight training to the mix, since muscle requires more calories than fat does. But other important thing to keep in mind about cardio, is that it matters how you do it. A low intensity jog is never going to treat your body the same way that a high intensity spin class will that includes intervals, climbs, and sprints.

If you’re not in the business of losing weight and naturally maintain a healthy body weight, the goal should be to keep the cardiovascular health up. To improve your cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association about 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Or either 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

And then of course, more is not always better when it comes to cardio either. Working out beyond meeting your goals can put unnecessary stress on the body that can put you at risk for injuries and burnout that will then keep you from maintaining your progress. Some research has shown that endurance athletes have more potential heart issues than the average person, and that marathon runners can actually have more arterial plaque than people who don’t run at all. Plus, high intensity cardio can create a state of stress and if you’re doing too much of it the body won’t be able to get out of that stress state, which means a lowered immune system, trouble sleeping, increased general anxiety, etc.

Most people need to be getting in some cardio most days of the week, that we can agree upon. Consider it a life long habit and then check in with what your body needs to adjust it accordingly. And always watch your diet.