Fitness coach Bobby has advised people over 40 who are trying to lose weight to avoid using cardio as a way to compensate for food they have eaten. In an Instagram post shared on July 26, he argued that treating exercise as a way to "earn" meals or burn off previous meals can leave people exhausted and hungry without necessarily producing the expected results. He clarified that his advice was not to stop doing cardio, but to change the way it is used.

Bobby said he often sees people spending 45 minutes to an hour on cardio specifically to burn calories from a recent meal. According to him, this approach can become counterproductive when people respond to the additional exercise by feeling hungrier or becoming less active later in the day. He suggested that these compensatory changes can reduce the overall impact of the extra exercise.

The fitness coach also challenged the idea that increasing cardio automatically leads to lasting fat loss. He explained that the body can become more efficient at performing repeated physical activity and may respond to increased exercise in ways that affect appetite and daily movement. However, individual responses to exercise vary, and weight management depends on several factors rather than cardio alone.

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Instead of viewing cardio primarily as a calorie-burning activity, Bobby recommended using it for broader health benefits. He highlighted cardiovascular health, energy levels, stress management and recovery as reasons to include cardio in a fitness routine. This approach, he suggested, can help make exercise a sustainable part of a person's overall health routine rather than something used to compensate for eating.

For people seeking changes in body composition, Bobby placed greater emphasis on nutrition and strength training alongside cardio. Strength training can support muscle development and physical function, while balanced nutrition provides the foundation for meeting the body's energy and nutrient needs. A sustainable approach should also account for an individual's health, fitness level and other personal factors.

Bobby's central message was to move away from thinking of workouts as punishment for previous meals. He encouraged people to view exercise as part of a long-term approach to health rather than a temporary effort to achieve a particular result. For those over 40, building a consistent routine that combines appropriate physical activity, nutrition, recovery and other healthy habits may be more sustainable than relying on increasingly long cardio sessions.

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