Do you do cardio to burn fat, to eat more or to feel the cardio hype? I think everyone has done for all these reasons.
Can you do too much of it? Certainly. Intuitively I knew that. On days that I do longer cardio I’d feel a tiger inside me, I couldn’t think anything but food. I didn’t like that sensation so I stopped. Today I read a post from The Great Fitness Experiment that talks about why too much cardio is harmful for our body. Cortisol, a hormone that your body makes when you are stressed out and it is bad for you. It lowers your immune system, destroys muscle and actually instructs your body to store fat. Any intense workout over 45 minutes puts you into cortisol production mode.
Some people gain weight when they work the hardest, like Maggie and Missy; others crave sugar in every form, like me; exhaustion and fatigue are also symptoms of too much cardio. Although I love the after feeling of a intense workout to release stress, I try not to exceed 45 min. If I do more than that, all the negative effects kick in.
Q: How often do you do cardio? How long? I’m doing twice a week, less than 45 min of moderate cardio.
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I started the day with this message that put a smile on my tired face 😉
You can guess what I had for lunch: stir-fry noodles! 😀
tofu, black fungus, tomatoes, zucchini and green tea noodles.
Krista wanted to know how I prepare stir-fry lotus. so, here it goes.
First, the end product: stir-fry lotus with tofu and black fungus
This is how lotus looks like when you buy it from asian store. First peel off the skin
cut the edges and it looks like this
other ingredients: tofu, garlic, fermented black bean (optional) and black fungus
seasonings: salt, soy sauce, chili sauce and oil
Heat the oil first and add garlic and chopped lotus
cook for 2-3 min and add black fungus. Stir-fry for another 5 min and add soy sauce
chili sauce. Mix it well.
2-3 min later add 1 tsp of sugar. Mix again, cook 2-3 min and add tofu. Taste it and add more salt if necessary.
It’s easy right? You can add any seasoning it, lotus takes flavor easily.
Served with sauteed lettuce and oatmeal porridge.
Q: What’s your plan for the weekend? I’m going to HELA spa for a facial to relax and to glow 😉
Balance, Joy and Delicias 
mmm i love tea! i buy loose leaf from adagio.com so good. i drink so much tea every day haha. as for cardio, i used to run 20-30 miles per week but that was way too much! last fall, i cut back and only run twice a week for 20-40mins. i do yoga on the other 2-3 days and i’m at a much better place. i know what you mean about the ferocious appetite! i hated that and i felt like i wasn’t being mindful of portions! plus, i’m not as tired anymore either 🙂
I do 30 minutes daily on average. My weight stays the same as my hunger goes up proportionally!
I do cardio 45 mins, 4x a week. I do it because it makes me feel accomplished and also because I like to eat so the cardio helps to balance the calories. I *really* need to get back into weights, though!
Does lotus taste good on its own or do you recommend mixing it with other ingredients?
This weekend my son has a hockey game, I’ll be meeting some friends for Sunday brunch and baking some cookies! Can’t wait….
You know, I think I’ve done cardio all my life but never thought of it as a way to burn calories and have never experienced and negative effects. Now strength training on the other hand is very unfamiliar to me ;).
I love the yogi tea notes! They make me so happy 🙂
Green tea noodles??? ME WANTS! They sound amazing!! Your dish also looks fantastic + makes me crave stir-fry noodles now! I used to hate lotus as a kid but I really enjoy it now.
I am going skiing and snowshoeing this weekend! Can’t wait!
Yes I learned last month that too much cardio is not good for me. I became so starving after those intense workouts and ate everything! This month I am now strength training 3 to 4 days a week and just going 30 to 45 minutes of cardio 2 to 3 days a week. It is working out a lot better!
Hm..I run every morning, but it’s not hard-core or anything. I do it to clear my mind, and I’ve been sticking to the same mileage for a long time now, and don’t plan to increase it either…because it’s just the perfect amount to make me feel like I worked out, without exhausting myself.
You made me think with this post. I always considered that I should do cardio every day, like, for an hour, or I’ll gain weight. So thank you for this post, I had a rest day today, just what I needed;)
Love how you use such interesting ingredients!
I like relaxed cardio like walking. I don’t like to sweat! I don’t know what I’m doing this weekend… I might get a facial 🙂 Enjoy yours! (your weekend and your spa!)
Mmm, your stir fry noodles look delish! Love your exotic vegs 😉
I do cardio to burn fat and so I can eat more. In fact, I’m willing to do 3 or 4 hours of it a day. hahaha
Jenn
It sounds awful, but I don’t really pay attention to how much cardio I accomplish within a day. I just make sure that I have a leisurely half hour walk at the beginning and end of my day.
what a great tutorial! i love black fungus [wood ear, right?], especially in mushu pork!
unfortunately, i think i have an unhealthy relationship with cardio… i do it mostly to burn calories and to be able to eat more, which i realize is not the best reason to do it. i do 30-40 minutes of moderate/intense cardio 5 times a week, and i rarely go over 45 minutes at a time, mostly because i get bored on the machine after around 40 minutes.
Maybe I do too much cardio? I do cardio everyday at least 35-40 minutes and some days it’s 60-90. I do notice that my hunger goes waaay up on intense cardio days though.
your stir-fry noodles look incredible!
Not to sound rude, but I really don’t believe that cardio past 45 minutes makes your body want to store fat! I have never heard that before and would be curious to see the research on that. I have studied sports nutrition for some time now and that has never been an issue that has come up or even discussed. Exercise decreases cortisol, but I bet athletes who do a lot of competitions SO have a lot of cortisol production because of the stress of competition. But just working out on a treadmill for 45 minutes is recommended! Anyway, I need to look into that.
Enjoy your facial Coco, you deserve it! This weekend I am relaxing and running a bunch of fun errands (shopping!).
It’s ironic how counter-intuitive exercising could be. This just shows that we need a balance in every aspect of life. I have extreme hunger attack in the late afternoon. Do you get these attacks as well?