How much cardio for maintenance...

Hermia

Cathlete
...and maybe losing a teeeeeny bit of weight?

Sigh...I never thought I'd say that, but it seems that, finally, at age 31, I am no longer holding 106 effortlessly. This is fine, because I'm 5'6'' (just a touch under), so it's kind of nice to not be under-weight, but I don't wish to gain anymore. I'm 119. Maybe it's me being used to being skinnier, but I feel like my lower body could stand to be a tad tighter.

But anyway. My standard has always been 1-2 yogas, 1 lower body, 1-2 upper (a split), one total body, perhaps with cardio intervals, and 1 cardio. One of the yogas and maybe the cardio is generally what gets cut if I don't get everything in. Although I enjoy cardio, I've always done just a bit because I've always been 106. Now, though, since my body is holding weight a bit more, I wonder if I should do more cardio for maintenance.

So how much cardio would be good for maintenance or perhaps losing just a couple pounds? And how do you get it all in? I already feel super accomplished if I manage the above; how would I add in more cardio? Do you workout twice a day, or workout longer? Are there any other considerations that might be helpful?

Thank you!!!!
 
How much you do and what you do depends upon what brings you the most joy, how you would like your body and fitness to develop and what your goals are.

To add in more cardio, I would take out the one total body workout each week and do cardio instead.

Other than that, you have a really nicely balanced program and so I wouldn't sweat it.

Clare
 
Turn the total body and leg workouts into circuits...That will keep the weights you want in as well as up the cardio...Circuits are the first thing I switch to if I start feeling my mini muffin top turning into the jumbo muffin top that the women in my family are famously known for...And your right, it was after I turned 30!

MJ in MN
 
Yeah, I think I like the idea of working in more circuit; they're usually fun, too! I think I need more, though. I'm going to try to be a bit more mindful of my food, too. That's never really been a problem. I don't really eat that poorly or that much anyway, and I do almost all of my cooking from scratch. However, I've heard a lot of people say that what you eat is the greater part of the equation.
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top