HIIT it and Quit it in Just 20 Minutes
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So you’ve just walked out of your third meeting for the morning, downed your second (or fifth) coffee and are about to sprint back to your desk to meet your lunchtime deadline.
It’s now Wednesday and not only are you feeling stressed, you’ve missed two days of lunchtime gym dates because – let’s face it – sometimes you can’t help but feel snowed under.
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Working through (or running a gazillion errands in) your lunch break is unfortunately a reality for pretty much everyone, along with early morning starts and staying back late. The thought of dragging yourself to the gym or even outside on those days just doesn’t seem worth it, especially when it means you can leave just that little bit earlier.
Trust me, I know this scenario all too well. It’s partly why I decided to up and leave my desk job in search of a career in fitness. But enough about me, let’s talk about you.
About how you can prioritise time for yourself and workout (or run, or walk, or do anything that gets you moving) then get back to your desk and through double the workload while you continue burning calories at the same time.
About how you can get a better night’s sleep and feel rested rather than putting together a mental to-do list as soon as your head touches the pillow (or was that just me?).
And about how you can transform your body and mindset in just 20 minutes. Including a warm up. I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING.
You’ve probably heard the word HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – but did you know that just 15 minutes of high intensity interval training burns more calories than jogging on a treadmill for a whole hour?
HIIT uses a system of work-hard-then-recovery intervals, alternating between high intensity workouts with short resting periods. Through interval training your body learns how to efficiently use the energy that comes from your body’s energy system. HIIT also helps to remove toxic waste from your muscles during the rest periods.
Interval training also helps you consume more oxygen compared to a typical, non-interval session. The excess amount of oxygen consumed helps increase your rate of metabolism after a session, therefore burning calories at a higher rate. This will heighten your energy levels and improve productivity so not only will you walk away feeling like a queen, but your body will continue burning fat while you finish off that preso after lunch, and for the next 24-48 hours after that. WINNING.
As if that’s not reason enough, the Journal of Cell Metabolism [http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(17)30099-2] conducted a study of HIIT in various age groups and found that high-intensity interval training actually slows down the ageing process. **CUE FIREWORKS**
But you may know all this already – or you may not.
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Either way, my 15-minute HIIT session below will give you something to take away! No equipment necessary.
HIIT IT
Warm up – 5 minutes
Go for a light jog, hop on the exercise bike or bust out the skipping rope for 3 minutes. Once you feel the blood starting to flow move on to some dynamic stretching – gently circle your arms and then swing your legs from side to side and front to back. Finish up with 10 half-squats and a 10-second run on the spot.
Session – 15 minutes
3 rounds – 45 seconds on | 15 seconds rest
- Squat (progress to squat jumps or some form of resistance for a harder session)
- Push ups (on knees or toes)
- Jumping Jacks
- Lunge hops (starting in lunge position, bring your back knee up towards your chest and hop)
- Bench/Step dips
Don’t forget to cool down and stretch (even if you do it back at your desk)!
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