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Hi Jana,
I think i can speak towards this. Cardio is an areobic activity. Basically you are burning fat and muscle when doing this. The only real way to build or maintain muscle is to do strength training exercises. I've trained a couple of girls in the gym who didn't understand weight training (they were under the disposition that it was just for guys..).
I basically told them yes, you can do all the cardio you want and eat nothing and be a skinny little thing..but you'd be unhealthy. By eating well, 4-5 times a day, doing some cardio and weight training, you are giving your body the necessary ingredients to being healthy. To much cardio, not enough food, and no strength training means you're losing FAT and MUSCLE. Not good..not good at all. Your body's immune defenses start breaking down, you may become sick..stuff that you don't want happening.
By strength training, you are providing your body witha great base to being healthy. By maintaining and building muscle, you are allowing your metabolism to work that much harder when sitting at rest..it's gotta deal with the muscles yiou are working!
So the cliff notes is that you are NOT..repeat..NOT building muscle by doing cardio. Sure, you're toning up and you feel sore (due to lactic acid probably). By building muscle you're allowing your body to work that much harder..at rest..to maintain your body.which means you burn calories JUST to maintain muscle.
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