the benefits of hiit when you have a busy schedule

Posted on by Jean Paul Rivas in HIIT

Short on Time? 7 Reasons High-intensity Interval Training May Be the Answer

To achieve substantial health benefits and to produce the results you want, exercise must be done frequently, with enough intensity, and for an appropriate length of time. For long-term results, however, you need to find a form of exercise that you enjoy and that will actually fit into your schedule. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become increasingly popular over the past decade or so because the workouts don’t require a lot of time and are extremely effective.

If you’re not yet convinced that you can fit regular exercise into your already overcrowded schedule, here are seven reasons HIIT workouts may be the answer you’ve been looking for:

The human body expends about 5 calories of energy to consume 1 liter of oxygen. When an activity uses multiple muscle groups at a high level of intensity, more oxygen is needed, and more calories are burned. HIIT workouts that involve both the upper and lower body can be particularly effective for those who want to lose or maintain weight.

HIIT primarily uses the anaerobic energy pathways, which run out of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical muscle cells use for energy, rather quickly. So, not only do you use energy during the work interval, but during the recovery interval, muscle cells continue to produce and replace ATP for the next high intensity bout. Whether you are exercising your hardest or taking a few moments to catch your breath during an active recovery interval, your muscles are always working during a HIIT workout.

With HIIT, you will not only burn calories during the workout, but will continue to burn calories after the workout is over, making it an extremely effective use of your time. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is the term that describes how your metabolism continues to consume oxygen (and burn calories) for hours after a HIIT workout. Once you are finished with your workout, your muscles will continue to use oxygen, along with fat, to replace the ATP and repair the tissues damaged during the exercise.

When performed at the highest intensity possible, HIIT can support muscle growth with short workouts. HIIT produces a significant amount of metabolic byproducts, including inorganic phosphates, hydrogen ions and lactic acid, all of which help promote the increase of hormones such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) or growth hormone (GH) used to repair muscle proteins. This could, in turn, result in an increase in muscle size or definition without having to spend hours lifting weights.

A short HIIT workout not only makes it possible to burn calories and build muscles, but it could also have important benefits for your brain and cognitive performance. When compared to moderate-intensity, steady-state exercise, HIIT may be more effective at producing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are proteins that support the growth of new cells and blood vessels, respectively, in the brain.

Many health clubs, exercise studios and online fitness formats apply the science of HIIT to their group workout programs to create instructor-led formats that deliver an effective workout in 30 minutes or less. Logging on to an online HIIT workout or taking a HIIT class at your favorite fitness facility allows you to achieve these benefits with the guidance of a qualified instructor.

When it comes to HIIT, intensity is more important than time; performing a workout at the highest intensity possible allows you to get results in a relatively short amount of time. From start to finish, including both the warm-up and cool-down, most HIIT workouts can be done in less than 30 minutes, making them the go-to solution for when your schedule is out of your control.

While it’s always nice to have a long, stress-reducing workout session, there will be days when time really is a factor. For this reason, it’s nice to know that time-efficient workouts really do work and produce results.

5 Expert Fitness Tips FOR BEGINNERS

Posted on by Jean Paul Rivas in Beginners
  1. Strive for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week

Break it down to 40 minutes 4 days a week, 30 minutes 5 days a week, or however, you’d like! Choose what works best for your lifestyle.

  1. Cut your coffee calories

Cut calories in your morning cup of coffee by skipping the cream and sugar. Instead, try drinking it black or reducing your amount of each.

  1. Prioritize consistency over intensity.

“You are better off doing a 45-minute, moderate-intensity strength circuit three times per week than to do a two-hour, high-intensity workout six times a week, and then burning out in three weeks because it’s not sustainable. And remember that it takes time and consistency to build your body, but one workout can put you in a better mood. You leave it all in the gym: the annoying boss, the argument with your best friend, being stuck in traffic… It’s like you get to press reset.” —Valerie Waters, celebrity trainer and creator of Valslides, @valeriewaters

4. Be kind to yourself

Individual motivation – or the lack of it – is only part of the bigger picture. Money, parenting demands or even where you live can all be stumbling blocks, says Sniehotta. Tiredness, depression, work stress or ill family members can all have an impact on physical activity. “If there is a lot of support around you, you will find it easier to maintain physical activity,” he points out. “If you live in certain parts of the country, you might be more comfortable doing outdoor physical activity than in others. To conclude that people who don’t get enough physical activity are just lacking motivation is problematic.”

5. Make it a habit

When you take up running, it can be tiring just getting out of the door – where are your shoes? Your water bottle? What route are you going to take? After a while, points out Sniehottta, “there are no longer costs associated with the activity”. Doing physical activity regularly and planning for it “helps make it a sustainable behaviour”. Missing sessions doesn’t.

4 BEST FITNESS FOODS

Posted on by Jean Paul Rivas in Food

1. DRIED FRUIT

High in natural sugars, dried fruits (such as apricots, raisins and mango) give a concentrated source of carbohydrate, making them agreat energy booster. You’ll also get a dose of fibre, potassium, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals with every mouthful.

Fitness benefits:

If you can’t stomach energy gels during long races, dried fruits are a great natural substitute as they pack in plenty of high GI carbs to give you energy. Aim for one or two servings before a race and two to three servings for every hour of running (one serving is roughly three dried figs). As with all foods, if competing, experiment with dried fruit during training runs rather than on competition day to avoid the dangers of a washing-machine stomach mid-race!

2. SWEET POTATOES

Mash, bake or make into pâté – sweet potatoes are ultra versatile and are a healthier choice than regular potatoes, with disease-fighting beta-carotene, iron, fibre and vitamin C.

Fitness benefits:

Sweet potatoes are a good addition to a carb-loading diet before a long race, such as a half marathon. They are also high in the electrolyte potassium, which can help ward off muscle cramping during exercise.

3. BANANAS

Bananas are the perfect fitness food: compact, unfussy, soft to chew, and packed with nutrients. Don’t be too quick to bin the peel however – Taiwanese nutritionists found the peel is not only packed with even more potassium, but mood-boosting serotonin and eye-protecting lutein, too. Try the whole banana – peel and all – in a smoothie.

Fitness benefits:

Bananas are slightly higher in energy than other fruits but the calories come mainly from carbohydrate, which makes them brilliant for refuelling before, during or after a workout. They’re also packed with potassium, which may help with muscle cramps during exercise.

Combinations for extra energy…

4. BLUEBERRIES

Blueberries earned their ‘superfood’ status a few years ago, thanks to their high level of free-radical-beating antioxidants. Free radicals are thought to travel around your body damaging cells, causing disease, and triggering signs of premature aging. Berries are often lower in calories than other fruits, too.

Fitness benefits:

Like dried fruit, fresh fruit is also good to eat during and after exercise since it contains high GI carbohydrate-packed sugars, which provide energy to muscles in the quickest way possible. Frozen blueberries (often far cheaper than fresh in the supermarket) are brilliant when whizzed up into a post-exercise smoothie to replenish your muscles’ glycogen (energy) stores.