Interval Training

Have your workouts become monotonous? Do you feel like you're doing the same thing and not seeing results? Well, that's how I've felt for awhile. Lately, I've started adding high intensity intervals (sometimes just intervals minus the high intensity) and it seems to make the workout go by quicker. Also, after the workouts, I feel like I've worked a lot harder than if I was doing my normal 30-60 min run at my turtle-like speed. Seriously ya'll, I think a turtle could beat me! God gave me endurance, but he missed me when he handed out speediness.

High Intensity Interval Workouts (HIIT) make a lot of sense. Think about a car. A car gets better gas mileage when it's on a highway, going at the same speed for a long period of time--meaning it's probably not working as hard if it was in stop-and-go traffic for that amount of time. Now, think about your body. Your body has to work harder, thus burning more calories when it has to work hard, then slow down, then work hard again. Think about your heart rate as you think about the speed of your car. When you speed up your car, it burns more fuel, just as your body burns more calories when it speeds up it's heart rate.

I do most of HIIT training on the treadmill. I like to use the incline to do intervals, as well as doing sprint intervals. This really seems to get my heart rate pumping! WebMD has some great interval workouts that you can check out by clicking this link.