Blazing Your Way To Fitness With HIIT

Why is fitness an urgent need nowadays? 

It is not surprising that the world of fitness is still constantly evolving and changing. It has to change because the challenges associated with staying fit and healthy are multiplying every year. 

Several decades ago, obesity was considered a minor medical condition and was limited to only a small percentage of adults and in unusual cases, children. 

The most current statistics show an alarming change in how people are taking care of their bodies today. 

Who is affected by obesity today? 

Sadly, the answer is that almost everyone is affected by obesity. 

In the United States, an estimated 65% of all females and 71% of all males are already in the overweight category. An alarming 6% of the entire population is within the extremely obese category. Extreme obesity is marked by having a body mass index or BMI that’s equal or greater than 40 kg/m2. 

Remember: these statistics include children, teenagers, adults and yes, even our seniors! 

It appears that obesity is sparing no one these days. This is indeed a sad day for anyone who understands how important one’s health is. I have shared with you these statistics to help you see why it is vital for everyone to find their fitness pulse as soon as possible and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. 

An active, healthy lifestyle is guaranteed to protect you from the countless medical problems brought about by obesity. It also provides a promising avenue for people who want or need to lose weight. It is never too late to start losing weight! 

It does not matter if you are in your 30s, 40s or even 50s. The determining factor is your willingness to start something that could impact the quality of your life for years to come. 

What can you do to jumpstart your active lifestyle? 

The first thing that you have to do is to aside 10-20 minutes a day for exercise. Before you shy away from the idea of regular exercise, let me tell you that you do not have to perform long, boring exercises to burn calories. 

Forget about walking aimlessly on a treadmill for an hour or so just to get your dose of fitness. 

A more effective approach to fitness exists: high intensity interval training. 

High intensity interval training or HIIT is actually very simple! You take your regular exercise and supercharge it by adding a high intensity phase to it. The intensity of an exercise is measured in MHR or maximum heart rate. Every age group has a corresponding MHR range. A HIIT workout has a recovery portion and a high intensity portion. 

What’s the difference between these two parts of an HIIT exercise? 

When you are in recovery, your MHR should be no more than 50%. This part of the exercise will allow you to recuperate and catch your breath. When you are in the high intensity phase, you must push harder to bring your MHR to 80%-85%. 

I often recommend HIIT to people who want to lose weight more quickly or to sporty individuals who are keen in improving their physical performance. 

Now, I am aware that there is a misconception that HIIT is not for women because it’s too tough. Any exercise technique worth your time and energy is challenging. That’s just the way things are. HIIT can be used to enhance your current workout system or it can be used as an independent workout technique. 

Either way, you win! 

Do you need more evidence? 

Check out these benefits and see if HIIT suits your needs: 

1. Fast and Powerful 

Do you dread having to do endless cardio every week? 

You do not have to anymore! 

HIIT effectively eliminates the need for long workouts because it burns off calories at a higher rate per minute than steady exercise. You will burn off an average of 50% more calories whenever you switch between steady-state and high intensities when you work out.

2. Women Are Better at HIIT 

Studies show that even though women are naturally limited in terms of muscular strength, they are better at performing at higher intensities than males. 

3. Fun And Can Be Done At Home  

HIIT workouts require short bursts of intense movements followed by recovery. Its nature will make sure that your workouts will never be repetitive or boring. There are also dozens of exercises that you can do at home with few or no exercise equipment. 

So even if it is snowing hard, you can still burn calories like a pro!