In my last post I talked about using the Kaizen method to form good habits. I used some examples that were shockingly small.
But research has shown there is a way to pack 45 minutes of exercise into 1 minute. It sounds like a product that you would see on late night TV with 8 Minute Abs and something that makes Ramen Noodles cook EVEN faster.
Researchers compared a group of young men who were to perform moderate cardiovascular exercise versus a group of young men who would perform High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The wanted to see if there were changes in aerobic fitness, how well they could control blood sugar, and muscle function at the cell level.
The first group did a 2-minute warm-up, rode 45 minutes on a stationary bike, and then did a 3-minute cool down. The other group warmed up for 2 minutes, went as hard as they could for 20 seconds, went 2 minutes very slowly, and then repeated that sequence for a total of 3 sets in 10 minutes. Both groups exercised 3 days per week.
Both groups ended up with:
-20% increase in cardiovascular endurance
-improved insulin resistance
-great increases in cells that produce energy and oxygen in the muscles
Would you rather exercise for 27 hours or 6 hours (with only 36 minutes being hard) to get the same benefit? That’s a pretty easy choice for me.
But, there is always a but, HIIT is not easy! It is also not the only way I recommend you exercise. There are some days you are just not in the mood for intense exercise. Going for a long run, hike, swim, bike ride, etc… at a leisurely pace is still great for your body as well as your mind.
In my next post I will put up a HIIT workout similar to what we do in our boot camp classes.
