High Intensity Interval Training is so effective because it raises your heartbeat up to close to your maximum and doing so it raises your Resting Metabolic Rate. That means you’re burning calories at a higher rate for up to 24 hours after your exercise.  And the best part is that you get this benefit in only a 20 minute workout! As with most things in life, your best workout is about quality not quantity.

Believe it or not, studies show that HIIT is 9 times more effective for fat loss than endurance training programs.

So how do you do it? You simply vary your pace from minute to minute, or in ten or twenty or thirty second segments.  That’s it!  And you can apply this principle to any form of workout you can imagine.

If you’re at the walking level, then you simply pick a landmark like a telephone pole and you walk as quickly as you can to that point. Then you pick another landmark and walk there at a moderate pace to recover. Then you pick another landmark and walk as quickly as you can again and so on until your 20 minutes is up.

If you’re riding a stationary bike, or a stairmaster or running on a treadmill, alternate between riding/climbing/running at your hardest pace for thirty seconds, then drop back down to about 60 percent for thirty seconds then back up again.

If you’re swimming, then swim as hard and fast as you can for a lap and then you cruise for the next and so on.

If you’re cycling then you cycle as quickly as you can for 30 seconds and then you cruise for 30 seconds to recover.

If you’re pushing a stroller then you push it as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then you amble for 30 seconds to recover. (Your kids will love it and giggle all the way!)

Again, if you don’t have a watch handy you can just pick landmarks. Go as quickly you can for a block and then slow down to recover. It is that simple to do.

If you’re at home with a sleeping baby and don’t have the chance to get out,  a jump rope is an awesome way to complete an Interval training. Jump hard for a minute, then jog in place for a minute.

Or, if you have stairs in your house, you can run up the stairs and then walk back down, then run, then walk down…

If you don’t have stairs, try doing twenty jumping jacks at full speed, then jogging in place for thirty seconds, then jumping jacks, then jogging… The point is, you can’t convince me you can’t do HIIT! Be creative and you absolutely can.

As with any form of exercise, warm up for several minutes before each workout. And please do consult your doctor before embarking on this or any exercise program.

Because of the intensity of HIIT, give yourself a day off in between. That means you should do HIIT  3 times per week.

So what do you on the other 3 days per week?

I’m a massive advocate of weight training, or resistance training. The reason weight training is so effective is because like HIIT it will raise your metabolism not just while you exercise but for hours after. It also changes your body composition allowing you to increase your muscle mass (which helps you burn more calories) while you lose body fat.

But I understand that not everyone can get to the gym.  So if you can’t do weight training, then choose an activity that you love – dance, tennis, water sports, beach volleyball, or, like Krista, jumping around the house to random eighties songs.   Just get active!