The debate over which cardio exercise is better has been long-standing and can be quite heated at times. Some believe that a higher intensity workout – like running, swimming, or doing sprints on the elliptical machine will burn more calories than low-intensity exercises such as walking uphill or using an incline for your treadmill runs.
Others disagree with this idea, claiming that there are no studies to back it up, so they choose something else instead of hard work!
Scientists have found that during intense exercises, your body burns glycogen. Glycogen is a form of stored carbohydrates, and it’s been discovered to be the primary source of energy for high-intensity exercise.
Your body stores this carbohydrate in your liver and muscles so you can use them when necessary. However, low-intensity workouts burn fat as their primary source of fuel which makes fitness programs more efficient.
In addition, if they’re not focused on weight loss or gaining muscle mass, they may require less time at the gym due to increased caloric expenditure through higher amounts spent exercising.
If you’re wondering whether or not working out is the solution to obesity, then, unfortunately- it’s no. Some so many people still have a high body mass index despite doing low-intensity workouts, and due to this, there is some skepticism about how it can be that way when exercising does help with weight loss.
Scientists have been right over the years when they say that low-intensity exercises such as walking and swimming burn more fat than high-intensity workouts. This is because there will be calories burned from both glycogens stored in muscles and body fats used for energy production during a workout.
You may think of this as “indirect” calorie-burning. However, it’s still important to work out at all intensities since your health benefits are proportional to how many total calories you’ve burnt!
Your glycogen stores keep you going on the long days. They are in charge of powering your muscles and back up for when your energy levels inevitably dip throughout the day- that is until they get depleted themselves!
When this happens, not only will those carbohydrates from food be converted into more glycogen to fill them back up again, but nutrients won’t just go as body fat instead. So it’s a win-win situation all around, with glucose reserves at their maximum capacity after being replenished by some good old-fashioned eating right before bedtime.
High-intensity cardio exercise will have your metabolism burning even after you are done with the workout.
This means that hours later, as if from a fire long forgotten, your body will continue to burn fat to maintain its equilibrium and keep up energy levels. This effect is nearly nonexistent in low-intensity or aerobic exercises like running on a treadmill for 45 minutes.
You can inject a little fun into your cardio workout by introducing some interval training.
For example, you could start with walking for 5 minutes or so, then break into jogging for another 5-minute session before you go back to a brisk stroll until you catch up on the breath and sprint for 1 minute.
Then switch it again: walk while catching your breath once more, followed by 15 more minutes of running and alternating as needed!
One of the best things about cardio is that it gives you more energy and makes your body healthier. Of course, cardio will help burn calories, but it is most effective for keeping your energy levels high throughout the day.
If you’ve never tried cardio before, we encourage you to give it a shot. After all, if you like to exercise and are looking for the best way to boost your energy levels and keep in top shape, there is no better choice than cardio.
And if you’re starting? You’ll want to go slow and make sure that you stick with low-impact exercises when working on building your aerobic endurance – as it’s very easy to over-exert yourself during these workouts.