Monday, February 06, 2012

HIIT it!

A very important part of weight-loss is performing cardio exercises that allow your heart-rate to increase. The reason we need to increase our heart- rate is so that the heart can work harder to pump the blood through your body. This is where HIIT comes into play. The trick is all about the TYPE of cardio exercise that you do, and HOW you perform it. HIIT, high intensity interval training, is proven to be one of the fastest ways to shed body fat.
What is "HIIT?"


Below is an example of a HIIT routine: Try it out and let me know what you think!
My experience
I have gotten up to an intermediate level of HIIT: jogging at a steady pace for 1.5 – 2 minutes, sprinting (as hard and fast as I can) for 30-40 seconds, and repeating this pattern 6 times. It feels as if I am working twice as hard, because once I have become comfortable at a steady pace, it’s time for me to change it up.
Every time I do a HIIT workout I am exhausted by the end of it, but I always feel great once I have completed one because I feel an extra burst of energy that helps me get through the rest of my day. My goal this week is to do a HIIT workout every day so that I can continue to feel positive and energized, and I invite you to do the same.
Let’s get moving!!

To put it simply, HIIT is the idea of alternating short periods of very high-intensity cardio with short periods of low to moderate-intensity cardio. Interval training burns a lot of calories during your exercise; but it really pays off after the workout. Your metabolic rate stays elevated longer after the workout is over, rather than exercising at steady and low intensity cardio pace, which will allow you to burn fat. That means if you trade in your 30 minute jog on the treadmill for a HIIT program, you should see faster results.

2 comments:

  1. Nice post Janine. I look forward to hearing more about your workout methods! Do you keep track of your heart rate during workouts? Making your pulse match your goals is key to training. http://fatlossunscrambled.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/reebok_heart_chart1.gif

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    1. Thanks for the link Matt! I usually try to keep my heart rate around 150-160. It feels great to get the blood pumping!

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