What do you think of when you hear the word “cardio”? Do you think about hours of enjoyment? Maybe you think of it as a nice stress reliever after a long day of work. It’s possible you think about how much you hate the damn thing and imagine going all Office Space on its ass. If you are like me, you probably think of that sweaty guy who leave a gallon a sweat under his machine! One thing is for sure, we all know cardio is good for us. It helps with our cardiovascular system, muscular endurance, and most importantly it can help us lose weight! The one thing you probably don’t know is too much cardio is actually bad for you.

Extended periods of cardio, and I’m talking about more then a hour, can be harmful to weight loss. On average, you want to stick to about 30 minutes of cardio, an hour at the most. The reasoning for this is your body will start to release cortisol, and cortisol is very bad for weight loss. Cortisol is a hormone which your body releases in response to stress and it tells your body to hold onto fat! There are roughly 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, more than what you could burn off in a single workout session. Unless you are a endurance athlete, chances are you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself up on the elliptical long enough to even see that number.

Other harmful effects of too much cardio are dehydration and even increased chances of heart attack. When you see those numbers go down on the scale after a two hour jam session on the elliptical, all you are really seeing is the water weight loss. Even drinking water during your workout isn’t enough. It can take your body hours to rehydrate itself. Now don’t go freaking out cause you think you are going to die. If you have experienced dehydration, chances are you only experienced moderate levels which include, fatigue, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness and lightheadedness.

In short, extended periods of cardio are not beneficial unless you are training for a marathon, in which case you are crazy! Stick with 30 minutes of cardio combined with some kind of weight training or resistance program to help maximize weight loss and to lead a healthy life.

-Scott