Does cardio help you lose weight? To lose weight you must be in a caloric deficit. To be in a caloric deficit you must burn more calories than you consume. Incorporating any type of cardio activity is helpful when it comes to weight loss. There are many different forms of cardio such as walking, swimming, jogging, dancing, gardening, cycling, etc.

Does cardio help you lose weight? iStock-photo credit: Liubomyr Vorona

Any type of cardio you do when it comes to aerobic exercise incorporates oxygen. The amount of cardio that you would need to do to lose weight depends on your age, weight, calorie intake, daily activity level, etc.

According to the American Heart Association they recommend exercising at least 150 minutes per week to maintain a healthy heart. And that comes out to walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day.

A couple of important tips to know is the more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you will be able to burn vs someone with less muscle mass. Men typically burn calories faster than women because of the hormonal gender difference.

The goal of most people is to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time. Here are some examples of the different forms of cardio and the calorie burn that you can accomplish in 30 minutes.

And this is based off a person weighing 155lbs:

  • Hiking- 216 calories
  • Swimming- 216 calories
  • Jogging- 288 calories
  • Cycling from 16 to 19 mph- 432 calories
  • Walking at 3.5 mph- 133 calories

If your goal is to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week you need to be in a daily caloric deficit of 500 to 1000 calories. The best way to lose weight is to combine cardio + weight-training + good, structured diet that puts you in caloric deficit. This is the best weight-loss formula when it comes to fat loss.

If you can do cardio about 3 to 5 days a week from 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes a day. And lift weights at least 2 to 3 days a week along with a balanced diet you will lose weight.

It is always advisable to change your workouts so you don’t burn out and get into a plateau that you can’t get past. Not everybody can do high intensity cardiovascular training, but most people can do moderate cardiovascular activity.

And at worst just walking at a slow pace. It may take you longer to burn calories walking at slow methodical pace, but the calorie burn will happen. You just may have to work out for a longer period to meet your daily calorie burn goal.

The Bottom Line is you need to cardio to help you lose weight on top of being on a good diet and adding a weight-training component. If you can do all these 3 things collectively and consistently you will lose weight.

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