Sarah's Thoughts

 

Interval Training For Superior Immediate Results

Chances are that if you're interested in losing weight, you've read about zillions of diets: the Zone, Atkins, South Beach, Protein Power, Pritikin, the Mayo Clinic diet and countless others. One thing all honest diets have in common, however, is that they all admit that for best results we must ... exercise. Uh, oh. But if you want to increase the speed of your results, consider interval training.

For many years, most exercise programs focused almost exclusively on only one kind of cardiovascular exercise, but that it no longer the case. There's a new kid on the block and it is known as "steady state" exercise - and it's a welcome addition to traditional interval training.. If you're wondering about steady state exercise and those additional pounds around your waist, then we might have gratifying news.

This kind of exercise is extremely efficient at burning fat and researchers say that is because it raises our heartbeat and literally forces our bodies to burn fat for fuel. To be the most efficient at fat-burning, we need to be moderate enough with our exercise to be able to chat with a friend, and yet handle our chosen exercise for 60 minutes or so. Consistent exercise is an virtually certain method for losing weight, as many millions have learned, to their delight.
Interval training isn't "slow and steady wins the race" - instead, it's about really intense activity rhythms, followed by low intensity recovery time. Usually, interval training is completed in 20-30 minute cycles that require sprinting as fast as possible for 30-60 second intervals, then walking for two or three minutes to recover, after which time you start the cycle over again . The consequences of this intense exercise are gratifying - for a minimum of 24 hours you will burn calories like a furnace.. With these kinds of results, it's no wonder that interval training is quickly gaining dedicated followers.

Exercise buffs wrangle about whether to include interval training in an exercise program, but that's a pointless argument because it's an individual determination.

Interval training workouts are outstanding choices for folks who don't have much time to exercise because they shouldn't occur more than three times every week. Discomfort and stress are the earmarks of an interval training program. In fact, many consider that if they aren't about to vomit, they'haven't worked hard enough.

Lots of us are looking for weight loss exercises - but not exercises as strenous as that. For those who are horrified at the thought of being nauseated - or anywhere near it -  steady state exercise is the only way to go. On the legendary 1-10 scale, expect to engage in steady state exercise at least to a 5, if weight loss is your goal. A window-shopping stroll is better than sitting in a chair, but you most likely will not lose much, if any, weight..

When making the choice to include interval training with your steady state exercise - or not - look at your lifestyle and personal preferences. My son lost a lot of weight in a hurry with interval training, but I I felt like my heart was beating way too fast for either safety or comfort. So it was successful for him but was horrific for me.