You guys, one of the biggest struggles for me and I know for a lot of you out there as well is simply finding the time to workout.  Between working a full time job that often is more than full time, and spending a minimum of 3 hours in traffic everyday commuting I struggle constantly with even finding time to breathe let alone get a workout in!  This can be one of the biggest deterrents for people when they make a decision to get in shape and also can be how many people with the best of intentions get derailed early on in in the process.

While to some extent you just have to want it bad enough to prioritize your health and well-being, there are also alternatives to having to get back in your car each day, drive to the gym, fight over machines and share sweaty locker rooms.  I myself, am one of those weird people that actually likes being in a gym, but I am also one of those people who has very few hours in the day to spare.  My solution….while I do make the effort to get to the gym a few days a week mostly because I really like using all the different weight machines it has to offer, on most other days (about 3-4 days a week) I workout right from my living room for about 30-40 minutes.   I have recently discovered this amazing training technique called a HIIT workout.  HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it is as intense as it’s name proclaims it to be.

HIIT workouts basically involve you expending high amount of energy in short, intense bursts.  These intense bursts are then followed by periods of low-intensity active rest cycles.  The beautiful thing about this style of training is these workouts typically only last 20-30 minutes and you can do most of them anywhere you like….aka. your own living room!  They are designed so you get an amazing fat-burning workout in a very short amount of time.  The other incredible thing about this workout is the effects last long after the workout is over.  They are great for revving up your metabolism and then keeping it revved up long after you are on to making dinner or folding that pile of laundry that has been staring at you for two weeks.

I recently started on a HIIT style program where I only have to workout 4 days a week for about 30 minutes.  Who doesn’t have that time to dedicate to bettering yourself???  The particular one I am doing is an 8 week program that combines some weightlifting and high-intensity cardio.  So far I am absolutely LOVING it!  I mean it combines two of my favorite things…picking up weights and doing a very short amount of cardio!  It also ends each session with some core work which I have been really focused on since challenging myself to get at least a four pack of abs at some point in my life!   The only caveat to this style of working out is that the results you get from it depend completely on how intensely you are committed to those short bursts of high-intensity action.  If you do give it your all for those 45 or so seconds per activity you are potentially burning between 260-370 calories a session.

If you want any more info on the program I am using now just let me know!  Also, I have included below a sample of the HIIT routine I started out doing when I was new to the idea.  I still use this routine about once a week honestly because I really enjoy how it makes me feel.   You guys, we only get one body.  Please, please, please make the choice to take care of the one you have.  If you can find 30 minutes (which is roughly only about 7% of your whole day) to prioritize YOU, you can get in shape.  Do this for you. I promise you won’t look back at the 30 minutes you spend on your body and think it was a waste. As they say, the only bad workout is the one you don’t do!!

xoxoxo,

Beth