Should I do cardio today too??? Please help!!
Okay, So I run w/ the track team every day (monday-friday), go to the gym for weights and cardio (40 minutes) on days there's no track, and saturday. I do weights on tuesday and thursday as well.
But, today, the track team took it easy. And I mean EASY. We didn't run really. We ran to someone's house, then ran back to the school (so maybe about 12 minutes of total running), and did our usual drills (like 1 minute of skipping/strides, then 5 minutes of planks and stuff). I swear, it was barely a mile, and we didn't do much.
Anyway, I'm really freaking out right now because i'm not sure if I should do cardio at the gym as well tonight to make up for the lack of running today. I was going to go today anyway for weights, but I don't know if I should do cardio too. Honestly, I don't really want to, but I feel like I have to, in order to eat my usual amount. I used to have two rest days with my old routine (30 minutes of wegihts, 40 minutes of cardio 4X a week, 1 day of spinning per week), and i ate the same amount, if not, less back then, so i'm thinking it would be like my old routine a bit this week, but I'm just so nervous about changing things up.
WHAT DO I DO?!?!?!?! please help, I have like, an hour to decide...
(also, if it helps, i've had 1800 calories so far today, and I usually eat 2400. STATS: 5,3'-5,4', 111-ish pounds, 16 years old, looking to maintain)
Eat the calories either way. You're 16, so 2,400 calories is pretty low for maintenance. If you typically do an hour or more of exercise per day, this calculator shows that you should be eating 2,775 calories a day.
Wait, so... should I?? I'm sorry, i'm just so confused. With the track team also, it isn't super intense (easy days are a 10 minute mile pace, workout days are 20 minute warm up run, sprints, 1.1 mile cool down). I should still be eating 2,775 calories even though it isn't like, crazy intense?? o.o (sorry i'm just kind of surprised to hear that). I don't want to gain weight either from not doing the extra cardio today...
You won't gain weight from not doing cardio today. A pound gained = a surplus of 3500 calories, over and above your needs. This means you'd have to eat quite a lot over a period of days/weeks to actually gain any weight, given what you burn. Since you're still growing, it's best to get plenty of nutrition to fuel both your growth and your activity levels.
Do the cardio if feel like it, don't, if you don't feel like it... but if you do that cardio, make sure you're getting enough to eat to support it!
thanks so much :) I really appreciate it! If I do the cardio, should I still be eating 2400? Is that too little, just the right amount?
I'm not an expert, but I honestly think you should be eating more! Maybe try that for a week, see how you feel?
I'm nervous about it, but if i'm hungry for it, i'll try it :) I haven't been super hungry for the past two days, so i'm scared I might have messed up my metabolism, but i don't think I have (hopefully anyway). Thanks so much!!!
Mocha, you will never be happy or satisfied with your life until you gain weight. Get up to 120 at the LEAST. Seriously it was the best thing i did for myself, and im kicking myself for not gaining weight sooner. I, like you, thought i was perfectly fine at 110 and 5'4, but boy was i wrong. Girls like you and I who are active need a little more meat on our bones. What's the harm in gaining 10 pounds to see how you feel? You can lose it again if you end of feeling uncomfortable... but i can assure you that you will be so much HAPPIER at a higher weight. 120 pounds is still skinny in my book!
I'd take the day off, don't bother with extra cardio. Your body needs a break once in a while. Some studies have even shown that if you have a really active lifestyle (and it sounds like you do), taking a week-long break once in a while can actually help you lose fat by kickstarting your system. I found that factoid on livestrong.com, but I couldn't re-find it for you.
Haha - it's funny because I actually had this happen to me this past Wednesday. I got out of school early and went to the gym during the time that I usually eat lunch...so I was working out and hadn't eaten since about 6:30 AM that morning. I didn't have much energy towards the middle of my usual routine (15 min warmup cardio, 45 min weights, 30-45 min add. cardio) so I only did the 15 min cardio and weights. Without the cardio at the end, I was like "Ah man I cheated myself!! I should totally go for a really long walk or something to compensate!!" (Honestly I was even considering going back to the gym....). But really, I didn't & I ate the amount that I usually eat on workout days, and it was fine. It feels wierd when you do something out-of-the-norm once in awhile, but like elzabells said, it's good to give your body a break sometimes. I just hit the gym yesterday and was back to my routine without a problem. :)
your coach gives you easy days on purpose. you can't run hard every single day; you've got to give your body time to rest and heal. you're not going to gain weight if you skip the cardio for a day. :) don't worry.
