Blazing Your Way to Fitness with HIIT
Why is physical fitness an urgent need today?
It is never a surprise that the world of fitness is constantly evolving and changing. It has to change because the challenges associated with staying fit and healthy multiply 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 recent statistics show an alarming change in the way people take care of their bodies today.
Who is today affected by obesity?
Unfortunately, the answer is that almost everyone is affected by obesity. In the United States, about 65% of all females and 71% of all males are already in the "overweight" category.
An alarming 6% of the total population is classified as "extremely obese". Extreme obesity is marked by having a body mass index or BMI that is equal to or greater than 40 kg/m2. Remember: these statistics include children, teenagers, adults and yes, even our seniors!
It seems that obesity is sparing nobody today. It really is a sad day for anyone who understands the importance of his health. I 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 to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.
An active and healthy lifestyle is guaranteed to protect you from the countless medical problems caused by obesity. It also provides a promising avenue for people who want or need to lose weight. It's never too late to start losing weight! It does not matter if you're in your 30’s, 40’s or even 50’s. The determining factor is your willingness to start something that could affect the quality of your life for years to come.
What can you do to jumpstart your active lifestyle?
The first thing you need to do is set aside 10 to 20 minutes per day for exercise. That's it!
Before you shy away from the idea of regular exercise, let me tell you that you don’t have to perform long and boring exercise to burn calories. Forget about walking aimlessly on a treadmill for about an hour to get your dose of fitness.
A more effective approach to physical fitness exists: high-intensity interval training. High-intensity interval training or HIIT is actually very simple! You do your regular exercises and you supercharge it by adding a phase of "high intensity". The intensity of an exercise is measured in MHR or "maximum heart rate". The Evert age group has a corresponding range of MHR. An HIIT workout has a recovery portion/high-intensity portion.
Get your Home or Gym HIIT workout here:
What is the difference between these two parts of an HIIT exercise?
When you are recovering, your MHR should not exceed 50%. This part of the exercise will allow you to recuperate and catch your breath. When you are in high-intensity phase, you must push harder to bring your MHR to 80% -85%.
There is a misconception that HIIT is "not for women" because it's too hard. An exercise technique that is worth your time and energy is a challenge. It's exactly like that. HIIT can be used to improve 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 is right for you:
It's fast and powerful – Are you afraid to do endless cardio per week? You are no longer obliged to do so! HIIT effectively eliminates the need for long workouts as it burns calories at a higher rate per minute than regular exercise. You will burn an average of 50% more calories each time you switch between steady state and high intensities when you work out.
Women are better at HIIT – Studies show that even though females are naturally limited in terms of muscular strength, ladies perform better at higher intensities than males. As females, even though we may not be the strongest or fastest, we are metabolically superior because we can increase our performance more effectively at a moment notice.
It's fun and can be done at home – HIIT workouts require short bursts of intense movements followed by a recovery. The nature of HIIT will ensure that your workout will never be repetitive or boring. There are also dozens of exercises you can do at home with little or no exercise equipment. So even if it snows a lot, you can still burn calories like a pro!
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