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Exercising the old-fashioned way, with calisthenics won’t burn fat or the calories as fast as a quick 15-30 minutes of High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. Add 6 simple HIIT workouts and burn more fat.
Are you interested in adding exercise to your Keto Diet?
Is it a challenge finding time to add exercise?
Try adding HIIT workouts to lose weight and target fat burn!
We have all been brought up to do sit-ups, crunches, push-ups, and leg lifts for exercise.
Unfortunately, this puts a lot of strain on our backs. The results also take a long time to happen, with many hours and not fast results.
Not much fun in that is there?
HIIT workouts are a very straightforward approach to getting the results in less time.
According to a survey conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine, it holds steady among the top fitness trends for 2017.
What is HIIT Exercise
With HIIT workouts you give all you have, 100 % of all your efforts through quick intense bursts of exercise, followed by short breaks for recovery periods.
This type of training keeps your heart rate up, burning fat in less time.
“A high-intensity workout increases your body’s need for oxygen, during your efforts, this creates an oxygen shortage, causing the body to want for more oxygen during recovery,” says Eric Salvador, NASM, NSCA head instructor at The Fhitting Room in New York.
“This afterburn effect is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) for this reason.
This is why an intense burst of exercise will help burn fat and more calories than just doing regular aerobic workouts.”
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Six Simple HIIT Workouts for Home
Add these HIIT workouts to your daily routine and increase what you get out of your workout without much additional time.
- Speed walking for 2 minutes then slow down for 1 minute. Repeat for 15 minutes.
- At home, race up and down stairs 3 times, then rest for 1 minute. Repeat over 15 minutes.
- March or run in place for two minutes, then rest for one minute. Repeat over 15 minutes.
- Jump rope for one or two minutes, then rest for one minute. Repeat over 15 minutes.
- Do front, side, and back lunges for 2 minutes, then rest for one minute. Repeat over 15 minutes.
- On your exercise bike, pedal at a slow pace to warm up for 5 minutes, then increase the resistance and pedal with 100% effort for 10 seconds, then slow the pace again until your heart rate slows. Then repeat. Work up to 20 seconds of high-intensity bursts.
Tips for HIIT Workouts for Beginners
- Add any of these HIIT workouts to your daily routine, in any combination, but at your own pace.
- Start your workouts with 3 rotations then add one additional rotation each day.
- If adding to the keto diet, it is a time when you need to listen to your body and take it slow unless you have been actively working out prior to starting the diet. For more information on starting the keto diet, check out my post First Week on Keto Diet A Breeze with 5 Easy Steps
- Drink adequate water if you are adding exercise so you stay hydrated. It's suggested that you drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily, but that may vary depending on the weather and your workout intensity. Keep water close at hand with this stainless steel water bottle. #ad
- Keep yourself motivated to workout by upgrading your athletic shoes and athletic gear. Make sure and include shoe inserts, such as Vionic Athletic Insoles. Wearing inserts in my shoes makes all the difference in how my feet feel at the end of the day.
- Add tunes to your routine by plugging in your AirPods and crank up your favorite tunes that make you want to move.
Any type of exercise that raises your heart rate will burn fat and calories. Getting that heart pumping is the key. It produces an oxygen shortage and this is what we are striving for in order to burn fat.
Make sure and upgrade your exercise gear to get the most out of your HIIT workouts. I always think new kicks and leggings are a motivator to start a new workout routine! Check out my post on the Best Women's Workout Clothes.
Do you have a jump rope, hand weights, or a kettlebell? These small tools can make all the difference in getting your heart rate elevated.
Benefits of HIIT Workouts
- Benefits of the HIIT workout include a fast-paced workout for busy people, that can be done at home on your time.
- It doesn’t require a gym membership or specialized equipment. Although you can add hand weights, kettle ball, or jump rope for extra benefit as you build up your endurance.
- Generally, HIIT workouts are 15 to not more than 30 minutes. So they are quick intense bursts of exercise. After a session your body needs recovery time, so limit sessions to 3 per week.
- HIIT workouts burn more calories and help your body burn more fat for energy.
- Incorporating HIIT workouts into your exercise can help manage blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and strengthen your heart.
- Lastly, HIIT is an exercise routine that you can do at your own pace and build on as you can take on more exercise.
If you are ready for a more intense HIIT workout, consider a boot camp session. Check out my post on HIIT Boot Camp Training Burns Fat.
Risks of HIIT Workout for the Beginner
With the rise in popularity of HIIT workouts, one concern is the potential risk of injury for a beginner. Going from couch potato to a full-blown 30-minute intense workout may set you up for injury.
According to an article by Shape Magazine, the primary areas you should watch are:
- Going from couch potato to full-blown HIIT workouts, without a ramp-up period for your body to acclimate to full-blown exercise. So start slow and add simple HIIT workouts into your exercise.
- Lack of knowledge on how to incorporate HIIT into workouts. Even some HIIT instructors may not adequate training to prevent setting up risk of injury. Again, simple HIIT exercises such as jumping rope or running stairs or speed walking or running are all good workouts to add heart raising activity to your exercise.
- Exercising when tired or using improper positioning or form in your HIIT workouts. Because HIIT focuses on intensity, speed, and a high number of repetitions in a short period of time, it's important to use proper. Also being tired is a set-up for the same.
When adding HIIT workouts take the time to practice good form for the exercise. Think about knee position and protecting your back. Lastly, make sure and incorporate stretch into your workouts to make sure you have full mobility when attacking workouts.
- Having supportive athletic shoes is also important. There is a lot of jumping and running with HIIT workouts. Don't skimp on cross-trainers or running shoes. Check out the Best Athletic Shoes for Women.
- Lastly, remember to add in periods of rest and recovery to bring your heart rate back into normal range. It's very important. And, don't plan on continuing HIIT workouts for more than 30 minutes max.
When you think about it, adding HIIT workouts to your exercise makes you become a fat-burning machine!
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July 2021 Update: minor updates to post and updated images.
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Medical Disclaimer
This site contains general information about diet, health, fitness, and nutrition. This information should not be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition. Please consult with your physician before using any dietary supplement or before beginning a diet or exercise program.
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