Get fit & get healthy with interval training and save time

What is interval training?

Interval training is a strategy that varies quick, intense bursts of activity with periods of less intensity or with rest.

Reasons to be doing interval training

*The body learns to utilize new & different muscle fibers. These new fibers become available to use up fuel even during easy workouts.

*High intensity interval training works on the mitochondria. That is where the fuel is turned to energy. That results in burning fat first which increases endurance in ways that traditional aerobics can’t.

*Lowers the risk of heart disease & protects against Type 2 diabetes perhaps better than traditional exercise can’t.

*Another of the beneficial effects of exercise is increased lung power but interval training, especially the higher intensity level, can explode lung power to peaks that steady aerobics cannot.

*While most aerobic exercise lowers bad cholesterol (LDL), intense exercise such as interval training, increases good cholesterol (HDL). Moderate exercise doesn’t affect good cholesterol.

*Metabolic syndrome (which features obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and high triglycerides) is a very resistant syndrome. Seems it too can be lowered by interval training much better than by traditional exercise.

*Even just a few short spurts of exercise throughout the day unclogs arteries of fat much better than a single workout would.

*Traditional exercise helps develop general cardiovascular health but interval training improves cardiovascular fitness much quicker & much more dramatically.

*High intensity interval training helps glands learn to respond to extreme demands. This is vital because the performance of your glands during intense activity & stress depends on the proper functioning of your glands like the adrenal glands.

*Used properly, interval training can help you handle periods of stress experienced throughout the day. Your body is essentially training for the stress during the interval sessions. Important social & psychological benefits of interval exercise.

* It’s great for all levels of physical fitness. Even out of shape persons can alternate fast - slow, hard - soft.

*Sessions can be short. Most of us simply can’t always afford the time it takes to travel to a particular locale, long leisurely strolls or jogs in our frenetic world.

In a real time jam? Walk a half hour (or jog, if you’re in better shape). At 10 minute intervals, stop & perform enough squats to get out of breath & cause muscle burn. Repeat as often as your fitness levels allow. Adapt time, intensity, activity to your needs.

Doing this, you can be finished with a really good workout in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, the time it takes some aerobicizers to warm up!

*Benefits become evident in a matter of weeks. You can reasonably plan to look better at the reunion that is right around the corner.

* Interval training is good preparation for many sports. Many sports require bursts of activity the kind of demands interval workouts place on your body. This can be especially helpful for sports requiring bursts of activity alternated with pauses like basketball.

*It adds variety to your exercise routine. The many possibilities of interval training sessions gets you out of the boredom rut that many exercisers face.

*So, interval training combats boredom - with your focus on the intensities & exertions, you wont notice much else.

*Feel the flush of achievement! Hard workouts increase feelings of accomplishing something. What could be more motivating? That’s why I love to chart my workouts. I could see the progress & accomplishments right on paper.

How to interval train

Most people should select the appropriate intensity of each interval by rating exertions on a scale of 0 (rest) to 10 (almost maximum effort).

If you’re not very fit, alternate between 2 or 3 (low - moderate effort) & 5 or 6 (between strong - very strong).

However, if you are very heavy & out of shape, interval may consist of a few minutes of walking & rest, for 10 to 30 minutes.

In fact, if you are very out of shape, any training probably impacts your body as if it was interval training. So, until you are in better shape, and can alternate exertion levels, don’t consider interval training.

Many of the benefits of exercise that interval training results in, mirror those that traditional, steady exercise confer. Include both kinds for best results.

About the Author:
Salvator Giustra is a Health Researcher who has written extensively on supplementation. For more on vitamin supplementation, visit Taking vitamins and supplements.