Since straight-up yoga wasn't helping me lose weight, a good friend suggested I start doing a little cardio. So I started running, and worked my way up to five times a week and went to yoga maybe once or twice. But focusing on cardio all the time wasn't helping me build the muscle mass needed to burn calories. I was also getting burnt out by only doing cardio and started to hate my workouts.
"The more you can lift weights the better, especially for weight loss," explained California-based NASM-certified trainer Adam Padgett. He said that lifting weights builds healthy muscle mass on your frame, "which increases metabolic rate and develops a more 'full' looking physique." He added that weight training actually makes losing weight easier to accomplish.
Only doing one type of cardio is a similar mistake. "Our bodies acclimate to exercises and become more proficient when we do the same things," explained Cary. If we are only running for cardio, our body will use less energy if we always keep the same pace. If you like running, mix it up by changing intervals and the pace to start seeing changes in your body — this interval treadmill workout is a good place to start. "Then you will plateau again, and will need to change it up again," Cary explained. Keep your body guessing!