If you’re like me, life is too busy – and daily exercise takes a back seat to email, family commitments and just about everything else! What if your workouts were shorter but you get fitter?
We’ve been told that body fat melts faster hence weight loss, if we commit to endurance exercise – like walking for longer periods at a moderate pace instead of kicking it up to a higher heart rate. In other words, a steady and slow-burning flame means more fat burn than quick intensity.
It’s true that endurance exercise burns almost twice the amount of calories as interval training – intense bursts of exercise followed by rest. But, interval athletes lost more body fat! Up to 9 times more fat! That’s what I’m talking about.
Exercise for less time but at a higher pace increases not only our fitness level but boosts resting metabolism (calories we burn when we are NOT exercising). I call this the ‘after-burn’ effect and going for the gold. More bang for your buck!
Get started today! At the track at the local school, or around your neighborhood, take off in a sprint (as fast as you can run) for 10 seconds, then slow-walk for 40-60 seconds. Begin with 10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes 2-4 times a week. On other days, commit to your usual activities – walking, biking, strength training, cardio classes and yoga.
Tags: Metabolism, Sprints