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Yes, it’s absolutely possible to lose body fat without doing cardio exercises. Cardio can undoubtedly elevate your cardiovascular health, but incorporating cardio into your workout routine is not necessary if you are trying to lose weight.
Why it's possible to lose weight without doing cardio?
Weight loss and specifically, fat reduction, can typically be caused by a calorie deficit diet, i.e. reducing your calorie intake and enhancing the number of calories you burn. Although there’s no denying that cardio can help shed body fat by increasing your metabolic rate, those who want to entirely avoid cardio can get a chiselled physique with non-cardio options too.
So, if you are one of those who aren’t really used to cardio and prefer to avoid traditional cardio training, here are some things you can do to assist your cardiovascular endurance.
Tips for losing body fat without doing cardio
1) Keep a check on your calorie intake
Calories are the most significant factor when it comes to weight loss, and if you sort out your calorie intake levels, you’ll definitely lose weight.
Carbs, proteins and fats are your body’s primary energy sources. While carbs and proteins mainly contain four calories per gram, fat contains nine. When it comes down to burning, though, carbs are the first to burn followed by fats, and the last is protein.
When you are maintaining a calorie deficit, it is equally important to watch out for foods that you are consuming. If losing body fat is your ultimate goal, make sure you stay away from processed and packaged foods, and consume unrefined grains, proteins, veggies and fruits. Also, be very particular about inflammation-causing foods, as they’ll make you feel uncomfortable and bloated.
2) Keep your protein intake high
Another way to lose body fat without doing cardio is to keep your protein intake high. It is important to note that when you are avoiding calories, you’ll get hungry more often, and as you shed weight, you’ll definitely need a good amount of protein to maintain your muscle mass.
Hence, to lose overall body fat, make sure to consume enough protein to prevent muscle tissue loss. Consuming protein not only helps in maintaining muscle retention, but it also helps improve satiety (fullness). As a result, you’ll eat less, and feel full for a longer period of time.
3) Incorporate in simple and multi-joint workouts
You may also include some multi-joint exercises in your workout routine to help you lose body fat. Exercises such as deadlifts, squats, bent-over rows and bench presses involve multiple muscle mass and target different muscles and joints at the same time, thereby resulting in fat loss. Other non-traditional and compound exercises that you may perform include farmers walk and tire flip.
4) Intermittent fasting is also an effective option
Various studies suggest that limiting your eating time to eight hours per day can also potentially help reduce your body fat. Although it is not a healthy lifestyle, it does help when it comes to shedding those extra pounds.
Meanwhile, it is also important to note that intermittent fasting is not recommended for pregnant women, people with signs of disordered eating and high blood pressure patients.
5) Try yoga
Yoga is also very effective when it comes to burning calories and gaining muscle mass. There are various yoga asanas that can potentially help you lose weight quickly.
Some of the asanas best for weight loss include Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose), Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge pose), Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog pose), Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose), Parivrtta Utkatasana (Twisted Chair pose), etc. Youu may also try hot or Vinyasa yoga.
6) Reduce recovery period and increase your reps
This is significantly important if you are into strength training. Dropping your recovery period and enhancing your exercise repetitions will give out a cardio-style workout and will also help increase your heart rate, just like any cardio exercise.
Alternating between lower body and upper body weight-lifting exercises and reducing your recovery time during a workout plan will help force your body to transform into an aerobic energy system, which takes about two minutes to start working. Hence, you must perform weight lifting exercises that last around 40 seconds in one set to increase their effectiveness in terms of weight loss.
Summary
Cardio can be really challenging if you are new to it. It can leave you gasping for breath and leave you sweating. Although it can be beneficial in burning calories, it’s not necessary for losing body fat.
However, for an optimal weight loss programme, reducing calories, fat and carb intake, and involving strength and weight training as a whole should be the primary solution.
