Cardio Queens Are Still Gaining Belly Fat — Here’s Why

00:00Cardio feels extremely productive, right? Like you're sweating buckets, your heart's racing, your Apple Watch tells you that you burned 700 calories. Of course, you feel like you're doing something right. But the uncomfortable truth is, is that you're not burning fat. You're burning muscle. You're burning out your adrenal glands. You're burning your, you're burning your time. What's going on, everybody? Hey, you guys. Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkie Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe.

00:31And on this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkie Stott, and welcome to episode number 294. And first of all, how many of you guys can recite that opening? After almost 300 episodes, I feel like I say that in my sleep. And I'm sure that you guys, every time you hear this episode open up, you can say those words. If you've been listening to the podcast for a long time, you can probably recite them.

01:04Anyway, today, guys, it's going to be another one of those episodes where I'm just going to lean in, just a tab in. Like, I'm going to just deliver some truth bombs today that, you know, they might ruffle some feathers. But it's one of those situations where you may not want to hear it, but you need to hear it. And, you know, I still see this kind of somewhat everywhere. Like, you know, when you're someone like me who's, like, really, really in, like, the trees of the forest of the fitness world,

01:36you got to pull yourself out to the high, like, high grounds, like, above the hill, like, on the hills, or even above, like, on the mountains. Like, a 30,000-foot view so that you can look into the forest and be like, hey, where are people still steering the wrong way along their fitness journey? And how can I be the person that uses my voice to be able to shake you guys and wake those ones up that need to hear, like, this isn't the way. This is the way. So this is me pulling myself up at a 30,000-foot view and, like, still seeing that this is happening everywhere, this topic that I'm going to talk about.

02:13And I feel like it could be still one of those many reasons that women are still spinning their wheels. They're, you know, they're working so hard, but they're not seeing the results that they're hoping that they're seeing. And so if that this is you, like, you may know her. Maybe this is who you are, right? We're going to dive into the mindset around how people still think that cardio is the queen and it's, like, the trap. It's, like, I want to talk about the mindset and the method behind that.

02:43Like, cardio is not the end-all, be-all solution to fat loss and getting to where you want your body to be. Like, again, maybe this is you. The 5 a.m. treadmill, the 45 minutes on the Peloton, the evening HIIT classes, the tracking the calories burned on her watch. Like, it's the gospel, right? She's doing everything right according to what she's been told to for decades. Yet, that belly fat won't budge. That fat around her arms won't budge. The fat around her legs won't budge.

03:15Like, her clothes aren't fitting differently. Like, she feels defeated. And if that hits home for you, then this episode is for you. Or if you know a friend that that may hit home for, this episode is for them. And you need to share this episode with them so that hopefully I can shake that person too as well. And so today I want to talk about, like, why I feel like cardio backfires. I want to talk about and dive into the role of cortisol, into the role of muscle loss, into the hormonal chaos that happens.

03:48I want to give you guys some solutions, which I'm sure some of you guys already may know what that is. But I'm going to dive into, like, a little bit more of, like, just those little, like, reminders. You know, like, I'm a coach. I got coach blood and coach at my heart. And we will repeat ourselves over and over and over and over and over again. And I'm just saying pretty much the same things, maybe just in different ways throughout our time, either working with a client or, you know, sharing things in our space. Because maybe it didn't land for you the first time. But maybe it will the third time or the fifth time.

04:20And you guys are probably shaking your heads, especially if you're a warrior beam. Like, you've had your coach repeat things over and over again. And probably the fifth time it landed or the 20th time it landed, right? So we're going to dive into all of this stuff. So let's just get into it. I want to talk about first, like, where this obsession even started. Like, y'all grew up in a world where it was, like, even me. Like, I grew up in a world where it's calories in, calories out. That was, like, king. That was, like, die on the sword for, like, calories in? Okay, I need to go exercise those calories now.

04:52Or if I, like, I exercise and I was allowed to eat those calories back. And, like, this messaging, it's so, it was so loud and clear. I mean, it still kind of is loud and clear. It's, like, eat less, move more, burn more calories, like, shrink yourself. Like, let's just chase skinny. And cardio was, like, the promised land of weight loss. There's infomercials about, like, what, Thighmaster, Jane Fonda, like, the neon spandex, like,

05:23step classes where, like, the higher you jump, the better you felt. There's, I could go back. Like, the Thighmaster gets me. It was that weird thing that bends like this. Like, I mean, if you guys, you guys can imagine what I'm doing if you're not watching me on video. But let's just be real. Like, cardio, doing those things. Doing the Stepmaster. Doing the thigh thing. Doing the Jane Fonda. Like, they feel, it feels productive. Going for a run. And it feels productive. And honestly, before I even dive in further into any of this, I just want to preface that

05:58cardio is still a good thing for your. Your heart is a muscle. It needs to be worked. Cardio is a great tool for that. The point and context I want to get across is those of you guys are overusing cardio. Hoping that you're doing cardio every single day. Like, for hours on end. And, like, you still think that's the end all be all. Like, my, I'm not saying it's bad. I just want to change the narrative and the mindset around cardio. And you guys use it a little, use it differently leaving this episode. Okay? But, yeah, cardio feels extremely productive. Right? Like, you're sweating buckets.

06:28Your heart's racing. Your Apple Watch tells you that you burned 700 calories. Like, so, of course, you feel like you're doing something right. But the uncomfortable truth is, is that you're not burning fat. You're burning muscle. You're burning out your adrenal glands. You're burning your, you're burning your time. And nobody, nobody told you that. Or maybe, like, again, maybe somebody has. And, like, it just hasn't landed in the way that you needed it to land for you. So, I'm hoping that I do that for you today. You guys are told that cardio is, like, the ultimate fat burner.

06:59I mean, geez, 10, 9, or whatever. Orange Theory, like, their marketing lives off of the afterburn effect. And it's just, like, overemphasized. But you guys are never told that it would work against your metabolism as you age. If it's done, like, overly, overly done. And so, let's just zoom into what, like, what actually is going on inside your body. Specifically, like, I mean, I feel this. Like, even after 35, after 40, after 45.

07:31Like, 35, you're, let's be real. Y'all know that I'm experiencing this. If you listened to my life update episode a couple weeks ago. At certain ages, our hormones shift. Estrogen, progesterone, they decline. Your body becomes more sensitive to stress. Your recovery capacity drops. Muscle is harder to build. And it's easier to lose. Okay. Can we all agree on that? Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. But, like, nobody updates your playbook here.

08:04Like, you're still doing what worked in your 20s or your 30s. Like, early 30s. Or what you saw in, like, a magazine 15 years ago. Here's the truth, Bob. I need y'all to hear. The strategies that worked in your 20s will backfire in your 40s. In your 50s. Like, let me just break down the psychological toll of chronic cardio. Number one, what do you guys think it does? Muscle loss.

08:35When your body is in a calorie deficit and doing tons and tons of cardio, you create a catabolic environment. That means that your body starts to break down muscle for fuel. Muscle is your most metabolically active tissue in your body. It's what keeps your metabolism high. It's what keeps your body tight. It's what keeps your insulin sensitivity in check. So if you lose muscle, you gain fat.

09:09Especially in your belly, my friends. When you are doing over amounts of cardio, the first thing that your body is going to tap into is muscle. It's metabolically active. It doesn't stop. It's always revving. That's why, like, yes, the afterburn effect is true. But, like, let's change. You can do it. Like, I'm going to get into this in a solution. But strength training does the same thing for you as an afterburn effect. Because muscle doesn't stop. It's metabolically active.

09:39So that statement of, like, you are still burning calories at rest is true. Cardio, though, only burns calories while you're doing it. But that's beside the point, okay? Well, it's not really beside the point. It's like a little rant. The point that I want to get across here is you lose muscle. Which is, like, is it counterproductive to what you guys want? Yes. You guys all want to build more muscle. And in a way that makes you healthy. Longevity. Being stronger to do things later in life. Not necessarily, like, a lot of you guys think, well, I don't want to build muscle.

10:10That sounds like I'm going to get bulky. Let me just remind you that's not going to happen. What I want to get a point across is how important muscle is to have on your body for longevity. It is, like Dr. Gabriel Lyon says, it is the organ of longevity. You're doing all this cardio. You're not eating enough. It's tapping into your muscle to give you fuel for that cardio session. And then when you lose muscle because you're doing this to your body every single day, you gain fat. Your metabolism gets weaker. Right? Insulin goes through the, like, your sensitivity goes through the roof.

10:41You become more, you become insulin. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more.

11:17Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. So, let's, let me just, like, I just wanted to, like, drill that one home.

11:50The second thing is, is cortisol overload. Cardio elevates your cortisol, your stress hormone. If you're already stressed, hello, life, hello, job, hello, kids, hello, menopause. Hello, like, feeling like a stranger in your body and feeling like, dude, something's off. Hello, hi, me, I'm there. Like, something's off. Something ain't right. Like, that's stressful. And then cardio on top of that becomes, like, literally gasoline on a hormone fire. Cortisol signals the body to store fat.

12:22It's going to store fat around your midsection. It also tanks your thyroid. It disrupts your sleep. And it makes it nearly impossible to lose fat. Let that just sink in. I almost am, like, letting that sink into me to remind me, like, dude, the things I'm doing, like, me feeling off. And, like, you guys shouldn't feel, you don't, let me just remind you, if you didn't listen to my life update episode. If things are off, that's your body trying to tell you something. It's not something you need to accept. You don't need, you should feel like you are lively and happy and, like, you know, full of life every single day.

12:57But when these things happen internally, when your hormones are starting to shift or when you're stressed out and your thyroid tanks and you're not getting enough sleep, your body is trying to tell you something. Don't just accept it. Don't just accept that this is me getting older. I'm like, uh-uh. This ain't happening. I know what's up. I'm going to go get it checked and I'm going to be an advocate for myself. And I encourage you guys to do the same thing. The last thing is the metabolic adaptation is happening here. What I mean by that is the more cardio that you do, the more efficient your body becomes. Meaning, you burn fewer calories for the same amount of work.

13:32You could be a cardio enthusiast, but your body is going to become more efficient. Meaning, the more cardio that you do, again, let me say this a little bit differently. You could be a cardio enthusiast, but your body adapts here and it's going to burn fewer calories for the same amount of work that you're doing. That's not a good thing when fat loss is the goal. You're teaching your metabolism to do less with less. That's why you feel like you're doing everything quote-unquote right and nothing is happening. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause?

14:06It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore.

14:37Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit WarriorBabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's WarriorBabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. So let me just make this like super practical for you guys maybe to understand a little bit more, right? I'm thinking about the people that receive information in different ways. How do you know if you're stuck in a cardio trap?

15:10Here are some red flags. I feel like you're on like that just red flag just makes me think of dating and being on a dating app. And like just think about that. You're on a fitness dating app right now. And all of these like BS things are being told to you or you're having to swipe right and left and what you believe and what you want to go after and what you don't want to go after. Okay, these are the red flags once you get into like a fitness routine for yourself. You're working out five days a week, but your body isn't changing. You panic if you skip a cardio session.

15:42You track calories burned obsessively. You're constantly tired or wired. You're sleeping like crap. And meanwhile, let me just like also add here there could be a slew of other things going on like hormonal and changes that are also doing this to you. But like if you're the cardio queen and this is the trap that you're stuck in. And this is like your hormones are doing this because potentially you're running yourself into the ground. You're always sore. You're not getting but you're not getting any stronger.

16:13You crave carbs and sugar consistently and constantly. You're gaining weight despite doing more. These are not signs of aging. These are signs of hormonal dysfunction and metabolic down regulation. I just want to be super clear. As I said earlier, cardio isn't evil, but using it as your primary fat loss tool is entirely outdated. And for women that are in their later 30s or 40s or 50s and 60s, it can be downright destructive if it's not balanced with the right recovery, with the right nutrition and with strength training.

16:51So here's where like I want to, as I said earlier, like the narrative of the mind of cardio, which many of you again, like I'm looking at 30,000 foot view down. I see this is still a huge thing going on within the space. A lot of women are still doing it. I see it every single day. Like I'm saying, cardio is not bad, but I want to rewrite the script. Like I want to flip the script. I want to change this narrative that's in your mind. And I want to introduce you to a better way, a smarter way, one that works with your physiology, not against it.

17:24I need you all to hear me loud and clear. For those of you guys who have been following me for a really long time, you've known that I've always said nutrition is king and exercise strength training is queen. Strength training is queen. If you want to lose fat, if you want to look more quote unquote toned, if you want to feel strong, if you want to age properly, strength training is your non-negotiable. And I'm talking like progressive overload and type of training, type of working out.

17:55You can go back in episodes and you can look and maybe I'll do a new one, an updated one, a progressive overload and exactly what it means. If you don't want to wait for that updated episode, I highly, I recommend that you go back into the 300 episodes. You can even go to the macrohour.com and you can hit control fire on the computer and you can type in progressive overload and it's going to show you which episodes are in there. It's probably an easier way to do, but that's just what I know off the top of my head. But broadly speaking, compound lifts, intentional programming, doing like three to four days of resistance training.

18:29Because I'll be totally vulnerable and transparent with you guys, because I'm in the thick of trying to rebalance me right now in the season that I'm in with my hormones, with my thyroid. I am doing anywhere of three strength training sessions a week, maybe two. And I'm doing a day of yoga and a day of Pilates. I used to be the one that was in the gym seven days a week. Okay. And even in another part of my season, I was in there four to five days and it's progressively gotten less.

19:06When I say less is more, please trust me now, believe me later. Less is more. Focus on getting stronger, not getting smaller. Focus on proper recovery. Okay. So strength training is queen. The next thing I need y'all to know to rewrite this narrative is walking is like the unsung hero. Walking doesn't spike your cortisol. It lowers it. It improves your insulin sensitivity. It supports digestion.

19:37It supports recovery. It supports blood sugar balance. You don't need to run. And I'm not saying you can't not run, but you don't need to run. You need to walk and you need to aim for like anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 steps a day. That's an absolute game changer. And especially as we go into these winter months, I know that a lot of people sitting there becomes more of a thing because we're not outside as often. Just be more mindful and bring awareness to your steps in the day.

20:12Get out. Get on a treadmill. Get to the gym. Warm up for 15 minutes. Get some steps in. Close down your session with 20 minutes of walking something to get those steps in. For those of you guys that get outside still during that time, amazing. Okay. But walking is like it's underrated. It's very underrated. Last thing is fuel. Don't deprive yourself. Nutrition is king. You can't starve your way to fat loss. And cardio combined with you having, which every woman, like let's just call for what it is, right?

20:47Let's bring the truth. Majority of women are not eating enough. So you combined cardio with not eating enough. That's just screaming metabolic disaster. Instead, what you need to do is you need to eat enough protein to preserve your muscle, to hold on to your muscle. You need to fuel yourself around your workouts. And you need to prioritize whole foods that will balance your blood sugar throughout the day.

21:20If you can do those three things, even just to start, you don't even need to get into the world of macronutrients or tracking or trying to flip your whole world upside down when it comes to your nutrition. If you could just do those three things, it would be an absolute game changer on top of walking and strength training. Protein is king. Eating around your workouts will make your hormones very happy. And you focusing on, let me not just go eat processed food, but making a conscious effort to eat more whole foods will make your body so happy.

21:57And I know it's not easy to change, guys. I know it's not. I understand it's not. Trust me. I coached thousands of women. I know it's not easy to change. And cardio is familiar. It's emotionally rewarding. It feels so productive. Like I've even had women tell me why I don't get the same high that I get from strength training. I hear you. But I challenge you to maybe learn how to like ease your way out of doing so much cardio. Right? Here's some tips.

22:28To ease yourself out of doing so much cardio without panicking. And how you can still find that high with strength training. You can, it just takes time. Trust me. I promise you, you will. I've seen women take, it may take six months. It may take, who knows, but you will find a different love for strength training just as you do with running. But if you are an over cardio queen, the way to ease out of it without panic is just replace one of your cardio sessions with strength training in the week.

22:58Then add a walk instead of a run. Get curious about your recovery. Like how do you feel after your workouts? Most importantly, pay attention to your biofeedback. How's your sleep? How's your hunger? How's your energy? How's your mood? Those things like it, that it's not about you abandoning cardio. It's just like you don't have to give up cardio. I want to just continue to drill that in. Because at Warrior Bay, we're all about finding like what you love to do within your lifestyle so that you can continue to make it a lifestyle. You like to do CrossFit? Awesome.

23:28Work that in. If you're doing CrossFit maybe five times a week, we're probably going to ask you to bring it down a little bit. We're still going to ask you to keep it in, right? Like you can still keep it in. If you love doing cardio, you love doing Orange Theory, you can keep it in. But we got to balance it the right way for what we know is right for you and how we can use our education to make sure that you're getting the ultimate transformation that you want. Okay? If you want long-term fat loss, it's about reclaiming control of your metabolism, right? You need muscle.

23:59You need hormone balance. You need nervous system regulation. So I just want to end with this, guys. If you feel like you failed and you're doing this all wrong and like, man, I've done cardio over and over and over again. Like you've not failed. You're not broken. You've been misinformed by decades of marketing, by decades of toxic diet culture and decades of bad science. And it's not too late to pivot. Strength training, walking, nourishment, exercise, being queen, nutrition, being king, proper recovery.

24:36Like these are the tools that work with your body, not against it. They work for the long term. They support your hormones. They honor the season of life that you're in. And like I said before, if you're following things like when you were in your 20s or 30s, it's going to be chaos in your body. You're trying to do the same thing that you're doing then when you're in a different season of your life now. And all of these things can help you finally feel like you're confident, like you're strong, like you're energetic, like you were always meant to be.

25:08If things feel off, like I said earlier, your body is trying to tell you something and you need to honor that. You need to pay attention to it. And if you can course correct and advocate and like, you know, less is more and all the things that I said, you're going to feel that energetic, strong, confident woman again. As I wrap it up, if this episode hit hard for you, share it with a friend who's stuck in the same cardio loop too as well. Post it to your Instagram story. Send me a DM, right? Tag me with like, tag me at Nikki Sott, at the Mac Rauer. Like, let me know what's up. How can I help you guys?

25:39Just remember, one, cardio is not bad. It's just you need less of it and more of strength training, eating right, and making sure that you're fueling your body appropriately. You're not meant to be on the hamster wheel of this cardio, cardio, cardio, cardio, cardio, right? I can see everybody in the forest, like I said at the beginning. I want to pull you guys. I want to shake you guys and wake you guys up. All right? I love y'all, and I will see you in the next episode. Hey, really quick, before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button.

26:14Your rating and review make all of the difference. Helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

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