Don't Skip the Cardio! (You NEED that too)

I promote weight lifting because I believe in it.  It's what I do.  It's my "thing".  At the same time, though, I also feel compelled to ensure my friends and family also know that weight lifting cannot be your only method of exercise.  Cardio is important!  And for many a reason, not just one.  But to name a few...

1. Weight lifting is not a high calorie burner.  And you need to burn calories to lose weight.
2. Cardio is good for your heart.  Your heart is a muscle too.  
3. Adding muscle has longer term weight maintenance results, but cardio is more immediate.  

Think of cardio like oil changes.  Oil changes are pretty affordable and simple, but critical to your car's maintenance.  You need oil changes fairly frequently, but if you get them regularly, your car stays in good shape longer and you likely won't have to spend tons of money on preventable repairs.  But, if you don't change your oil when you should, you could ruin your engine and have to replace it, which is REALLY expensive.  Cardio is like that.  Three times per week keeps your heart and body healthy and running smoothly.  It also scares off weight gain (in combination with a healthy diet of course).  But if you don't do cardio, you will slowly put on weight and 20 lbs later, you are wondering what happened.

In order to maintain a healthy weight, I propose you incorporate a mix of strength training and cardio into your routine.  Cardio allows you to strengthen your heart and burn those calories you need to burn to lose weight and body fat.  But a wise person knows that adding strength training into your routine will allow you to build lean muscle, which burns more calories 24/7, not just on a treadmill.

My rule of thumb?  I try to do ~45 minutes of cardio two to three times a week.  I spin at the gym, walk/run (in intervals), play football... SOMETHING that gets my heart pumping in that 65% to 85% max heart rate range.  It helps me burn calories and control my weight now, and then I lift weights to build lean muscle to burn calories later.