Aerobics & Muscle Loss
If the question is “Do aerobics exercise result in muscle loss?” then the answer is yes aerobic exercise does make you lose muscle. But this is not as scary as it sounds because muscle loss during physical exercise is a normal occurrence. The process called “protein turnover” is the constant breakdown & rebuilding of muscle tissue. During aerobic exercise, muscle proteins are broken down & used for energy during the whole routine.
The whole losing muscle issue has been over played that it has raised unnecessary hype against aerobic or cardio activities. The truth is, people should not let this scare them into not doing cardio exercises because that would be a whole lot unhealthier. What many people do not realize is that muscle loss is normal & happens, for example, when they are asleep. The fasting period during the time that people sleep is when muscle loss occurs, but that doesn’t mean we should not sleep anymore!
The only way for you to have a scary amount of muscle loss is if you over exercise. But as long as you keep within the recommended length of your aerobics exercise then you are surely within safe limits.
Just remember, the key to a healthier lifestyle is not to shy away from aerobics but to make it a part of your life. Aerobics can enhance your physiological balance because promotes blood flow & oxygen transport to your muscles. Because aerobics supplies constant amount of oxygen, it increases the size & number of your blood vessels.
If you think you are losing muscle mass, it may not be because you are doing cardio exercises. Consider your diet also, because eating inappropriately is unhealthy.
Make sure there is sufficient amount of protein-rich foods in your daily diet because protein is the only nutrient that actually aids in muscle building & rejuvenation. If you are physically active or are considering getting physically active you must make sure that you include protein in your diet, at least .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body fat, in order to avoid large amounts of muscle loss.
Because of the large following of low-carb & no carb diet, some aerobics exercisers combine their workout routine with either of these diet methods. It is alright to cut down on your carbohydrate intake, but you should be aware that you should condition your body & let it adjust to the lower carb intake it will be getting. Drastically cutting down or not having carbs at all may be another cause of muscle loss.
It is important to know that there is a harmonious balance to every fit & healthy body. Making shortcuts to a slimmer figure by starving yourself is very unhealthy. If you are not eating properly & thus do not have enough calories in your body, it means that your body cannot support muscle growth. Your body will go into a “starvation mode”, your metabolism starts to slow down and your body starts to burn muscle tissue to save energy. The muscular organs require a lot of caloric energy to maintain itself that is why the body automatically shuts down & shed off muscle if it senses that you are starving.
To sum it all up, shove away your worries about aerobics causing muscle loss because you are actually more in danger of muscle loss from eating improperly than from doing cardio. Some people expect that a combination of eating less & more cardio exercise is the most effective way to a sexier body but what they do not realize is that along with the fat, they are also losing muscle mass. The best way to a healthy body is to feed it with nutritious food while having cardio exercise at the same time.
|
