The Ultimate Fat Burn Conditioning Boost: 8 Reasons HIIT's a Hit!
At this point, we’ve all heard that physical activity is healthy — but did you know that about 80% of Americans don’t get enough exercise each day?
There are plenty of reasons for this disparity: lack of time, our busy schedules, the cost of gym memberships or equipment. The list goes on and on!
However, one of our most precious resources is our TIME — and that’s where HIIT comes in!
HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, is a style of exercise that relies on quality over quantity. By engaging in hardcore exercise in short bursts, we burn more calories and fat, increase our heart rates, and stabilize blood pressure more effectively than we can with all those boring hours on a treadmill.
In fact, here are 8 reasons HIIT will be a hit in your next workout!
1. You burn a LOT of calories in a short time.
Because you’re engaging in short bursts of high-intensity exercise, you’re burning more calories in less time. If you hate long hours on the treadmill or weightlifting sessions that leave you sore, HIIT may be for you. These quick exercises are perfect for busy professionals or anyone who needs a speedy endorphin boost.
2. HIIT burns fat first.
Studies have shown that HIIT helps reduce body fat and waist circumference, in much less time than more traditional moderate-intensity exercise. This is especially true for people who are already overweight or dealing with obesity — fat burn through HIIT is impressive!
3. HIIT can improve oxygen use.
Because HIIT is a form of endurance training, HIIT helps your body better manage its oxygen use. Typically, we associate improved oxygen consumption with long-distance running or cycling. However, HIIT has been shown to increase oxygen consumption by 9% for participants who performed 4 20-minute HIIT workouts per week for 5 weeks. In comparison, cyclists only hit that 9% mark with 4 40-minute cycling sessions per week. Wow!
4. HIIT can reduce blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance is a (sometimes dangerous) metric for people facing type 2 diabetes. In addition to generally lowering our blood sugar, HIIT can help the body better manage its insulin resistance — and that’s not just for people with diabetes! Anyone can benefit from HIIT!
5. HIIT can boost your aerobic and anaerobic performance.
“Aerobic” exercise refers to continuous movement, while “anaerobic” refers to short bursts of high-intensity movement (a.k.a. HIIT). While these terms are typically applied to our workouts, they also apply to our daily life: we rely on aerobic exercise to chase our kids around the grocery store, and slip into anaerobic exercise anytime we take a flight of stairs or carry a heavy load. Regular HIIT practice improves our aerobic and anaerobic performance outside of our workouts — you feel stronger, breathe more easily, and get more done!
6. HIIT contributes to lowered heart rate and blood pressure.
Particularly for people who are overweight or obese, HIIT training helps alleviate heart rate and blood pressure issues. While moderate-intensity exercise can do this too, HIIT gets the job done in less time!
7. Your metabolic rate stays high hours after HIIT exercise.
Want to burn calories when you’re NOT exercising? HIIT boosts your body’s metabolic rate, so much so that it stays high for hours after you’re done working out. That means, while you’re asleep or playing the latest Legend of Zelda, your metabolism is hard at work breaking down calories and fat.
8. HIIT helps you gain muscle.
In addition to burning off fat, HIIT helps increase muscle mass in the areas you’re targeting with your exercises. Because most HIIT exercises focus on the legs and core, you’ll see the most muscle mass increase in these areas, especially if you incorporate weight training.
Well, we’re sold! How about you? Ready to give HIIT a try?
Get in touch with us at sarah@f3wellnessconnections.com to learn about our individual, couples, and small-group HIIT classes, available online or in person. We can’t wait to help you HIIT your goals!