When you're dieting—aka eating fewer calories than you burn—the last thing you want is to feel like a starving zombie all day. The problem? Most people attack weight loss by slashing calories and doing tons of high-intensity workouts, which can actually increase hunger and make sticking to the plan way harder.
There’s a better way: walking and Zone 2 cardio.
These low-intensity, steady-state activities help you burn more calories without ramping up food cravings. They also keep your energy levels steady, improve recovery, and make fat loss feel way less miserable.
Let’s break it down.
Zone 2 cardio is a fancy way of saying "easy, steady-state cardio where you can still hold a conversation." It’s typically around 60-70% of your max heart rate, which means it should feel challenging but not exhausting.
Some examples:
The key? You shouldn’t be gasping for air. If you can’t talk while doing it, you’re probably going too hard.
High-intensity workouts (like sprints or CrossFit-style circuits) can burn a lot of calories, but they also spike hunger. Ever finish a brutal workout and immediately want to eat everything in sight? That’s your body trying to make up for the energy you just torched.
Walking and Zone 2 cardio, on the other hand, help you burn extra calories without triggering the same level of food cravings. This makes it way easier to stick to your diet without feeling like you’re constantly fighting hunger.
When you’re in a calorie deficit, your body wants to burn fat, but it can also break down muscle if you’re not careful. Strength training helps prevent this, but adding high-intensity cardio can sometimes accelerate muscle loss.
Zone 2 cardio and walking, though, don’t put the same stress on your muscles. They help you stay active, burn calories, and preserve lean mass—all without interfering with recovery from lifting.
If you’re lifting weights 3-5 times a week, you might feel sore or sluggish on rest days. Walking and Zone 2 cardio help get blood flowing, clear out metabolic waste, and actually speed up recovery without making you feel beat up.
Plus, staying active outside the gym means you naturally burn more calories throughout the day—without feeling like you’re forcing yourself to "work out" all the time.
If fat loss is the goal, here’s how to structure it:
You don’t need to do hours of cardio every day. Just be consistent.
If you’re currently doing zero cardio, don’t overthink it. Start walking more. Hit 7,000 - 10,000 steps daily. Add a couple of 30-45-minute Zone 2 sessions per week. That’s it.
The key to fat loss isn’t suffering—it’s consistency. Walking and Zone 2 cardio help you burn more calories while keeping your hunger in check, making it way easier to stick to your diet and see results.
Want a structured plan that makes fat loss simple and sustainable? Come in for a No-Sweat Intro at Hardbat Athletics in Newark, Delaware. We’ll help you set up a training and nutrition plan that actually fits your life and helps you lose weight consistently without feeling like you want to eat your left arm.
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