All too often our busy schedules sideline our own fitness goals. But, as this article points out in POPSUGAR, the news keeps getting better for those of us trying to fit fitness into a busy life (will even get more convenient and fun with Excy). First, just 20 minutes of exercise was proven to help increase your metabolism. Now, a study has found that working out intensely for just 2.5 minutes can spur calorie burn throughout the day — an extra 200 calories’ worth.
Source: POPSUGAR
For example, the POPSUGAR article highlights results from a study showing the results of five healthy men performing sprint interval training on a stationary bicycle (five 30-second intense intervals with four minutes of easy cycling in between). Although the men were sedentary the rest of the day, they ended up burning 200 more calories during the days they did the short bout of exercise than the days they didn’t exercise at all.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
There’s also a recent article in the New York Times the captures the benefits of high intensity interval training (HIIT), including:
- High-intensity exercise may be even better than regular aerobic activities for many patients with conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, pulmonary disease, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease.
- Studies strongly suggest that a more demanding but more efficient and often more enjoyable form of exercise known as high-intensity interval training is not only safe for most patients but more effective at preventing or reversing the deficits associated with many chronic ailments.
Check out our post “Excy HIIT High Intensity Interval Training Workouts for Home, Work or Anywhere and you’ll see how “accumulating evidence indicates that HIT induces similar health-enhancing adaptations when compared to continuous exercise, despite a substantially lower time commitment.”
In our first six Excy HIIT workouts we are preparing for launch, we will not only rock your cardio, but also integrate strength training within your HIIT workout for your upper body, lower body and your core. Plus, we will have even more workouts to come, whether you’re a fitness beginner or athlete. You will be shocked at the power you can produce and since Excy is a portable exercise machine, you can take it anywhere!
But, there are absolutely other ways to squeeze in intense exercise and POPSUGAR has a great list that we have included below:
- Jumping jacks. These do-anywhere moves pump up your heart rate in no time.
- Mountain climbers. This cardio move helps strengthen legs and core muscles as well. Learn how to do mountain climbers here.
- Burpees. Swiftly moving from standing to squatting to push-up position challenges all your muscles. Not sure how to do this classic move? Get instructions on how to do a burpee here.
- Running up stairs. Run up and down the stairs at home or at your office — you’ll get the added bonus of a toned backside.
- Walking lunges. These lunges help you develop balance while strengthening your core and lower body. Do these briskly, but make sure your form stays correct to prevent knee or ankle strain. Here’s how to do a perfect walking lunge.
- High knees: Run in place while engaging your core and pumping your arms. The goal should be to keep your knees high and maintain an upright posture as you do your speed bursts.
- Frogger: This plank-to-squat move seems simple, but you’ll feel it as you do your 30-second bursts. Begin in a plank position. Jump your feet to the outside of your hands, coming into a deep squat and keeping your hands on the floor, then jump back to plank. Repeat in a quick succession (below).
- Lateral hops: Make small jumps side to side as if you are jumping over an invisible line (below).
- Jump squat: Start by doing a regular squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as quietly as possible, which requires control (below).
- Box step: Find a step, stool, or box (or aim toes at an imaginary step) and lightly tap your left toes to the box, then jump to switch feet, bringing the right toes up (below).
As we highlighted in our Excy post “Beauty Work and Celebrity Bodies: Illusion vs. Truth,” heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women.
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So don’t forget that to improve cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day. The American Heart Association also has some great guidelines for changing the balance of calories in to calories out.
Chart shows the approximate calories spent per hour by a 100-, 150- and 200- pound person doing a particular activity.
We look forward to sharing more Excy HIIT workouts and of course, showing you our portable exercise cycle. We get closer every day to helping more people fit fitness anywhere.
Make sure to become an Excy Insider at http://excy.wpengine.com and get ready to get a crazy good total body workout at home, work or on-the-go! Connect with us on social media too!