Get a better workout in less time with HIIT!

The reigning assumption is that you have to get hours and hours of cardio to see lasting results. But recent science has revealed this belief to be flat wrong! I’m so excited to tell you about HIIT—High Intensity Interval Training—which involves repeatedly exercising at a high intensity for 30 seconds to several minutes, separated by 1 – 5 minutes of recovery time (either rest or low-intensity exercise). You can complete a full “burst training” workout in just 7 – 20 minutes, depending on what you choose to do. Let’s break down the benefits… 1. Balance stress hormones: Did you know that all exercise temporarily raises cortisol, the stress hormone? Yep. Long-haul cardio increases cortisol, but never quite triggers fat-burning hormones, like testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH)*. In fact, consistently elevated cortisol can lead to muscle breakdown and further fat storing! On the other hand, burst training raises those anabolic (building) hormones (testosterone and HGH), which increases fat burning. Burst training also teaches your body to better handle stress and recover more quickly and effectively.

2. Create hormonal harmony: Burst training has been shown to get your growth hormone working for you. Old-school cardio overloads your body on cortisol and ages you prematurely. But HIIT can actually help influence equilibrium in your vital hormones, and slow down the aging process!

3. Burn fat BETTER: When you burst, your body has to work harder to recover, which means that you’ll burn fat much longer when you’re done—up to 48 hours after! One study in young women recently showed that when comparing steady, long-haul cardio to HIIT, they created “significant reductions in total body fat, subcutaneous leg and trunk fat, and insulin resistance.”

4. Reduce diabetes risk and complications: HIIT can improve glucose control and metabolic function of people with Type 2 Diabetes. Studies show that high-intensity training improves insulin action in sedentary subjects. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it can help balance blood sugar levels and reduce your risk.

5. Save time you need for life! Many of us skip workouts altogether if we don’t have 30 – 90 minutes to spare. Now, no excuses allowed…knock out an intense workout in just 10-20 minutes a day!

There are many variations of HIIT. You can embrace either an aerobic workout (jog/run, biking, stairs, hill climbing) or weight-lifting workouts. The basic training is just 7 li’l ol’ minutes.

Here’s a quick-and-easy 20 minute HIIT workout for YOU!

• 3-minute warm-up—do a few knee lifts, jump rope in place, or whatever motion you enjoy for getting your body warm and moving and grooving.
• 30 seconds of ALL YOU CAN GIVE—You can do this on a bike, run, hill climb, elliptical machine, or with a weight-training or body-weight circuit. Do what works best for you, and make sure to alternate workouts to engage all muscle groups. The key is to GO HARD for a burst.
• 90 seconds of rest—walk, easy jog, coast, and let your heart rate come down gradually.
• Repeat—each circuit (burst/rest) seven times.
• Cool down—breathe deep, take in the world around you, feel energized.
• Smile at your amazing body and what it can do for you.

If you decide to give this a shot, go for three times a week, but no more. Your body needs time to recover from these high intensity workouts. It’s THAT Simple!

*Human growth hormone is often referred to as "the fitness hormone." The higher your levels of growth hormone, the healthier and stronger you’ll be. Once you hit the age of 30, you enter what's called "somatopause," at which point your levels of human HGH begin to drop off quite dramatically. This decline of HGH is part of what drives your aging process, so maintaining your HGH levels gets increasingly important with age.