Thursday, 02 July 2009
-
An Alternative to Cardio?
I love my cardio workouts, which consist mainly of a progressive walking program. I was doing really well on this until I injured my knee.
I'm off my walking program now for a few weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions for non-cardio calorie burns (I don't want to sacrifice my 2lb/wk weight loss)?
I'm lifting weights for 20 min 6x wk and doing tai chi 30 min 6x week in lieu of my usual work outs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Submitted by a healthkicker reader
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to healthkicker's Healthkicker Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in healthkicker's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (17)
Well, there isn't a real replacement, but if you can get to a pool swimming is a non-impact cardio exercise.
Could lift weights for longer as increased muscle mass means higher metabolism. And a higher metabolism makes any form of cardio more effective. Take this as a time to add more mass maybe :] and if you're a woman worrying about getting "too bulky", don't worry, men and women don't "bulk up" the same.
there really isn't a replacement for cardio but there is replacements to your walking program
-rowing machine
-water running (i have never tried this but read it online)
-swimming
Water running actually hurt my knee when I injured it... but like everyone else said, swimming was great, it really helped actually. That was all I could really do for awhile, because the bike aggravated it, so did it rowing (anything with a bending motion). Good luck, I know how frustrating it is!
swimming is probably okay...the simplest way is to cut back on calorie intake. it's all about calories in being less than calories out. so long as your doing that you will lose weight, just maybe not as much as before.
i heard swimming is bad for weight loss, and in fact, causes weight gain =\
it depends on how you've injured your knee. you could try non-impact cardio, like biking, swimming, or use an elliptical. but if you can't do any of the above, you just have to cut your calorie intake.
@purplepanda27@xanga - that's ridiculous. where did you hear that? swimming is one of the best cardio activities. it burns so many calories because you use every part of your body. i can't think of any reason why you would gain instead of losing, unless of course you gained muscle.
swimming!
@purplepanda27@xanga - BS.
@my_invisiblemonsters@xanga - @TakingxOverxMe@xanga - well.. something about how burning calories in a cold environment gets the body into conserving-heat-mode so you also have higher caloric intake and rentention... if you swim once in a while (which would have minimal effect) or swim competitively, it shouldnt affect you, but if you swim regularly recrationally, it is still a good cardio exercise, but just for a good workout and not for weightloss..
it's what i heard and read up on once upon a time. i didn't invent it. if you have better source of info, i'd also like to know because i love swimming.
when I swim I use only my arms (arms only front crawl usually) because my other workouts use my legs so much.
i don't know if that is entirely useless for anyone except me, though.
get well soon!
@purplepanda27@xanga - that's only because of muscle gain. muscle weighs more than fat. but whats wrong with getting a little toned? (:
swimming and running burn an equivalent amount of calories per hour... (500-600 at a high rate of intensity) so i think that would be a good alternative.
@Peachass@xanga - i agree, i do that too sometimes because a lot of my cardio works my legs. still gets your heart rate going!
this seems pretty stupid but i just tested it out for a few minutes and it seems to be working:
get into one of those rotating desk chairs and swing your arms like you're jogging... roate your hips as well. after a few minutes your hate rate gets up and you actually start sweating-- no knee action needed!
you can even read some more xanga blogs while you're at it.
no clue how many calories this burns per hr but im assuming half the calories of running because you would only use your upper torso and not your entire body...
hope that helps a bit lmao.
@purplepanda27@xanga - Eh, sounds unlikely. If anything, being in a cold environment means your body, when in that environment, will expend more energy trying to keep warm. The only way you're going to have a higher caloric intake is if you eat more. If you're exercising, you're not going to retain calories. Does swimming make you eat more? ...I kind of doubt it.
I have read, however, that especially for women, swimming shouldn't be your only form of exercise if you are able to do other activities- you want to be doing weight-bearing exercises to help build and maintain bone mass. So if you aren't injured, mixing in some higher impact aerobic exercises and weight lifting is a good idea.
My bias: I swam competitively in high school and I love it :)
I injured my knee also. People are giving great tips. I think swimming is a great idea and I might start taking classes :)
@purplepanda27@xanga - where did u hear THAT? altho if it means as in increased muscle mass, and looking more toned as a result, then i'd agree.
I agree, swimming sounds like the best option:) And I suppose be stricter with your eating than you would normally, as you're forced to be less active while you recover:)