Health Benefits of HIIT

One question I work with on a daily basis: what is the best workout if I want to lose weight? There is so much that goes into that question! First off, you have probably heard (and many of you have heard it from me!) food is 80% of this equation. Maybe you've heard it said "Abs are made in the kitchen". So, that being said, this post is about exercise, not food. :)

HIIT. What is HIIT? It stands for High Intensity Interval Training. So, we exercise at a high intensity, bringing our heart rate up and then we follow that with a lower intensity exercise to bring our heart rate back down.

It's been shown to burn more calories in less time than steady state cardio PLUS you can continue to burn calories up to 48 hours after your training session. Of course, every body is different and it does depend on how intense your high intensity work is.

The National Institute of Health has reported that you can burn 25% to 30% more calories with HIIT compared to steady state exercise. In this study, they were using 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 40 seconds of REST. They were actually exercising only 1/3 of the time that the steady state cardio participants were doing!

The NIH has also found that HIIT will increase your metabolism for hours after you finish your workout. When you finish a run or bike ride not using HIIT principles, you do not have that same metabolism boost.

For those of you who enjoy biking and/or running, you can incorporate HIIT into your workouts by doing 30 second sprints and then allowing your heart rate to come back down and then repeat this process.

HIIT is a great fat burner as well. In addition to all these benefits, as you get healthier and more fit, your body will gain an increased ability to use oxygen. A healthy, fit heart will have a lower heart rate and reduced blood pressure much of the time.

Many physical activities can help lower blood sugar and HIIT is no exception. If you have type 2 diabetes, you should always discuss with your physician what is best for you before starting a fitness program. If you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, HIIT, along with diet changes can help reduce that risk.

When opening the studio, I wanted to be sure to incorporate HIIT into our strength and endurance classes.

Of course, the best exercise is the one that you will continue to do because you enjoy it and enjoy the health benefits you receive. We have a bootcamp starting next week. If you are interested in getting started on your journey to a healthier you, feel free to contact me!