Day 17 of 26 Days of Encouragement: HIIT

Today, let's discuss HIIT exercises. High Intensity Interval Training encompasses workouts that involve short periods of intense exercising followed by short recovery periods that are low intensity. I love the end result of HIIT exercising, but it can be pretty uncomfortable during the actual high intensity part. 

One of the chief excuses that people have to not exercise is that they don't have the time. Researchers have found that as little as 10 minutes of HIIT exercising just 3 days a week results in meaningful health benefits. 

There is really no hard and fast rule for how to do/what to do in your HIIT workouts. Just make sure you have short bursts of intense exercising (20-60 seconds), followed by a period of time with lower intensity exercises that let you recover but keep you moving. Google is always a wealth of ideas for HIIT exercises if you need some inspiration. 

Check out these benefits of HIIT exercising: 
-Decreases insulin resistance and blood pressure 
-Burns more calories than traditional exercises (or the same amount of calories in a shorter amount of time) 
-Can elevate your metabolism for hours after you exercise, so you continue burning calories after you're done exercising 
-Can shift the fuel source your body uses during the exercise from carbs to fat 
-Releases endorphins in the brain (great for boosting your mood, alleviating stress, and fighting depression) 

Have you tried HIIT? Do you like it or do you avoid it? 

-Carlee