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I apologize if this has already been discussed, but I was thinking more about HIIT (high intensity interval training).
Basically, I follow this method, but I walk 5 min, run 7 min, walk 3, run 7 min, walk 2, run 4, walk 2 = 30 min of cardio. Is this still considered not enough cardio to be in the girl zone?
Here is an article I found:
The Best Cardio For Weight Loss: A HIIT Workout Routine to Burn Belly Fat Fast | Not Your Average Fitness Tips
The exercise thing can be confusing so I'll try to explain it simply. It's not a given amount of exercise or type of exercise that sways, it's the effect that exercise has on your body. If your muscle mass is shrinking, that sways pink. If your muscle mass is growing, that sways blue. So ANY exercise, done for ANY length of time, has the potential to sway pink OR blue depending on how it affects your body.
If you're losing weight on a low protein, low cal diet, and not giving much time for your body to recover between workouts, your muscle will be shrinking even if you do not do a full 60 min. You can shrink your muscle even while lifting weights if you overtrain and don't eat enough of the right foods. In fact, if you're very fit, you may NEED to add light handheld weights while doing cardio in order to make your exercise intense enough to burn off all the carbs and switch into burning fat/muscle.
If you're gaining weight or even holding steady while eating a higher protein, higher cal, nutrient dense diet, and giving your body plenty of rest, your muscle mass can grow even IF you do a full 60 min straight cardio. Even cardio can build muscle, esp. in the legs and butt and these are large muscles that raise T.
You can't divorce diet from exercise, they work hand in hand.
The reasons I have the guidelines for pink to be 60 min 6-7 days a week are firstly because after about 45 min. of cardio exercise, your body stops burning carbs as fuel and starts burning fat and muscle instead, and the byproducts of this process are very acidifying. 6-7 days a week leaves very little time for your body to recover. But most of all because it's a good general rule that's going to work for most people most of the time. It doesn't mean that a person doing less exercise than that can't conceive a girl, it's just that level of exercise is going to sway pink for most people.
My point is, if you're losing weight on a low protein diet, and you NEED that exercise for sanity and can't do more, then you have a decision to make about whether you want to continue or not. I think it's ~best~ to either do no exercise or lots of exercise while eating a low-protein, low cal diet but that doesn't mean you will ruin your entire sway should you continue doing your interval training for 30 min. a day.
The one type of exercise I do think it's prob. best for women to avoid while swaying is any type of boxing/kickboxing because your body may "recognize" on some level, the motions involved in kicking/punching and interpret that as fighting to survive, and raise T accordingly. (Shellie from TaeBo has two boys despite weighing about 10 lbs. LOL)
You also need to take into consideration your overall level of fitness to begin with
Thank you for your reply! Right now I would consider myself to not be fit. I am naturally skinny, tall, long, but at the moment I have a lot of fat (stomach and thighs) and would be embarrassed to get in a bathing suit. I have actually been luckier in the aspect that most of my life, I have never really had to work out or diet to stay on the thinner side. I hibernate in the winter and then kill it for 2 months to get ready for summer and then I find it easy to maintain through summer/fall.
So, my primary goal is to loose weight fast. I really just want to run on the treadmill for about 6 weeks to get to where I look and feel good in a bathing suit. I don't want to lift weights or do anything else. I just want to get rid of this fat!
What do you suggest that I do? If I did girl diet with my cardio for 6 weeks (mid June) would TTC in beg. July be too soon to have a good girl sway?
No I think that would be great and by sticking to 6 weeks, you'll ensure you won't lose TOO much and interfere with ovulation.
You just made my day!!! Now I just have to get this diet thing straightened out.