When I first started going gym, I rarely done cardio. In fact, I actively avoided it, as I thought I would burn too many calories and lose muscle mass.

I probably stuck with this for 3 or 4 years. Eventually, I reached a plateau in the gym, both physically and mentally. Physically I pretty much looked the same, and was finding it difficult to increase my strength. Mentally, I was just bored of the gym. I was bored of having the same routine every week.

Eventually, I reached a point where I made a decision to just start doing cardio. I didn’t care if it meant that I would lose weight or lose muscle mass. I wanted to get to a point where I started to enjoy my exercise routine more.

The result? Well, yes I did lose weight and muscle mass.

However, my strength has either held up or increased in certain lifts. I look a lot learner and aesthetic. More importantly, I feel a lot better. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I just feel healthier.

I know this sounds obvious, as yes, cardio does bring a myriad of health benefits (I will do another blog post on this soon).

However, for me, it was an important reminder to not only focus on a specific training routine. Weight lifting is great and also brings a load of health benefits. But cardio plays such a big role in really shaping a healthy human body, in particular our cardiovascular health.

The only negative that has come from this is that I wish I started sooner. However, I am fortunate enough to still start at an age where hopefully the benefits are seen 20 or 30 years down the line.

Do More Cardio. Your future self will thank you.