Correcting Cardio

Working out really only works out when one can strike a balance between cardio and strength training activity. I learned this the hard way.

Words by Emily Hutto in collaboration with Sachie York; Photo by Leslie Montgomery

I get paid to run.

I work for Portland Dog Runner, and it’s my job to go out running with my canine clients. I take each critter out for a 40-minute jaunt two, three, sometimes four times per week. And I have a lot of critters. It all adds up to about 30 miles per week.

When I first took the job, I was always exhausted, and always hungry. I had consistent shin splints. I would wake up early to run one morning and stay out past dark running the next night. I had five dogs that belonged to five families who all had different schedules that I had to accommodate. Sometimes I would run all five in one day.

I felt frail. My jeans and t-shirts sagged on arms and legs that were trim, but not toned. I was making a mistake that a lot of women make when it comes to aerobic activity: too much cardio, and not enough strength training.

During long periods of cardio, the body grows accustomed to burning sugar, or glucose, and holds onto it as a reserve energy source. My excessive running was causing a buildup of sugar in my body, and I needed stronger muscles to break it down. Strength training activities (such as lifting free weights, using weight machines, squats, lunges, push-ups and pull-ups, among others) boost the number of proteins in the body that transfer glucose from blood to muscle, which gives the muscles more energy for the exercise, and lowers blood sugar levels.

A purely cardiovascular-based fitness regiment is harmful not only because of the resulting high blood sugar levels, but also because it can catalyze osteoporosis. Extreme amounts of cardio, like running, can be especially damaging because of long, consistent slamming on joints, which can cause an abnormal loss of bone tissue.

So I was losing bone mass, and could have been losing my brain power, too. A 2010 study by the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that subjects who did strength training exercises one to two times per week for a year improved their executive function, a group of cognitive abilities. Executive function allows people to anticipate the outcome of circumstances, troubleshoot,  and manage dangerous and highly technical situations.

I wanted to rid my body of unnecessary sugar, prevent osteoporosis, maintain my brain function, and look smokin’ in a bikini, so I hit the gym for a free trial, and realized that a lot of other women weren’t balancing cardio and strength training, either.

Like most gyms, my neighborhood rec center had a chronic case of middle school dance syndrome, with boys and girls in their respective corners. Women flocked to the cardio machines, while men retreated to the opposite side to lift barbells.

“The majority of women are pretty intimidated by the weight floor,” says Chelsea Stutzman, a master trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. “They have this idea that weight rooms are going to be packed full of muscly men who are going to watch their every move.” Most of the time, though, these dudes are focused on themselves in the mirror – they really don’t care what you’re doing.

“I always tell my clients to be selfish at the gym,” says Stutzman. “Because that’s what everyone else is doing.” Everyone has their own regimen to compliment their lifestyle.

Stutzman’s regimen consists of training with free weights and machines five days each week. “On Monday I’ll focus on my legs, Tuesday I’ll hit my shoulder muscle groups, Wednesday I’ll do back exercises. Thursday I’ll do my chest, and on Friday I will do legs again. Everyday I do some type of core work and 30 to 45 minutes of cardio afterwards.”

For me, Stutzman recommends strength training at least three to four times per week to support how much I run. She also suggests that I put more calcium and Vitamin D in my diet because calcium helps to build strong bones and Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Finally she says I need to have a protein source (such as eggs, seafood, nuts, chicken, turkey, quinoa, soy, rice + beans, or tempeh) at every meal to sustain the muscle mass that I’m going  to build.

Though I’m far from dieting, muscle mass will burn more of the calories that I consume. For women who are trying to lose weight, strength training can give them their desired results because more muscle mass means a higher metabolic rate, or the rate at which bodies burn calories. “When weight training, cardio, and healthy eating are properly combined, one’s metabolic rate may increase as much as 30 percent to 40 percent,” says strength coach Jason Shea.

The experts made it clear: I needed to add healthier eating and strength training to my routine. I knew what I needed to do, but I realized quickly that dense muscles meant a thin wallet. Many women, myself included, can’t afford gym memberships and personal training. So I found a set of 10-pound weights for twenty dollars, a resistance band for ten, and a yoga mat for fifteen. Viola! A home gym set-up for less than the cost of one month’s membership at 24 Hour Fitness.

John Sifferman, a fitness trainer and columnist for fitwatch.com, suggests using “real world” weights like stones, logs and rocks in lieu of barbells and dumbbells. He also recommends taking breaks during runs to do squats and lunges in the park. Yoga, Pilates, and paddling are all good strength training activities, too. Stutzman, Sifferman, and every other knowledgeable fitness source, says that whether it’s in or out of the gym, most women need to incorporate strength training into their lifestyles for 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times each week. “You need to change what you’re
doing on a regular basis,” Stutzman says. “If you continue to do the same thing over and over, your body adapts. Keep your body guessing by mixing it up.”

I never did join the gym. These days the 30 miles I run each week are interspersed with yoga poses, lunges, squats, sit-ups, and pumping free weights- all in my bedroom, and sometimes the park. I’ve also transformed my diet to complement my running, and started taking a Calcium and Vitamin D supplement. In my case, strength training and diet considerations weren’t just essential for my health, they were crucial to my work. Without my four-legged friends, I might not have realized how critical the balance of cardio, resistance and diet really is.

Dog running was never an occupation I expected to have, nor did I predict it would be so useful in shaping my life – and my ass.