While doing my daily scroll on Facebook I came upon an article entitled "Does cardio make you fat? Study says yes." Of course this was intriguing to me so I gave it a look. According to this article, cardio causes hormonal changes that lends to fat storage in the body. And it also states that sustained intensity aerobic exercise causes the body to become more efficient and hence burns fewer calories at a given pace; not to mention muscle loss leading to a slower metabolism. The last sentence of the article reads: "If you want to lose fat you need to increase your metabolism by lifting weights and signal your body to burn fat with short high intensity burst or sprints."

I am not going to argue with the science as it has in fact been proven that doing cardio alone for prolonged sessions without strength training can result in the above mentioned. And I also agree that strength training is a great tool for muscle health and fat control. Yet, it seems that in recent years cardio has become the redheaded step child to the honor student of strength training. What it fails to mention the vast amount of benefits of cardiovascular exercise, and that it should be a part of a healthy exercise regimen, in combination with strength training.

If you go to a gym, next time look around. You will typically see two types of people: Cardio-junkies and Weight-lifters. By and large these groups hardly mingle and "share" areas of the gym. Those pumping away on a treadmill rarely hit the free weights, and the opposite scenario is even more common. God forbid a body builder sacrifice their precious muscle to do a cardio session for improved heart health. Or god forbid a woman lift a 10 pound weight for fear of getting bulky (right).

First I would like to defend my beloved cardio exercise. Along with massive benefits to controlling cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, cardio has an amazing effect on one's mood. When I end my daily run, I normally feel energized and accomplished. It also reduces risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer, improves lung function, increases bone density, reduces stress, and improves sleep, just to mention a few. And for many, such as those in a running or cycling group, it has created life-long friendships.

That being said, you CAN have too much of a good thing. Excessive cardio can lead to fatigue, joint pain, decreased muscle mass and metabolism, and increased stress hormone. However, the same is true for excessive strength training. This would include slow or no progress, tendonitis, weakened immune system and joint pain as well.

The main point I am trying to make is similar to many things in life. Don't look at either type of exercise as all or nothing. Just as it isn't a "fat free" or "carb free" world, it isn't ideal for weight loss to only do cardio or only do strength training. If you run the same pace, or lift the same amount of weight yes, your body will adapt. So, the key is to mix it up. Unless you are preparing for a body building competition or training for a marathon, add variety to your workouts to keep the body IN-efficient and therefore resulting in burning more calories. Combine aerobic (cardio) training along with anaerobic (strength) training for the best mental and physical results!

Lastly, I disagree with the statement "cardio can make you fat". It should much more accurately read "crappy food and sedentary lifestyle can make you fat". If you look at endurance athletes, clearly cardio did not cause them to become overweight. I agree that the study's findings are interesting, but I fear it could lead certain people to justify NOT doing cardio because it would "Make" them fat.