HIIT That

Have you tried high intensity interval training (HIIT)? If you haven’t, you should. This is a breakthrough in workouts for women, especially busy moms. Limited to 15 minutes, plus a warm-up and cool-down, you’ve got yourself an advanced cardiovascular workout that also incorporates upper body, core, and lower body toning. Add some resistance bands or weighted medicine or throw balls, and you can pump up the calories burned and muscle toned during your exercise. Why HIIT? Well, research has shown that HIIT workouts have been proven to increase not only mitochondrial size, but also mitochondrial numbers. These organelles are the powerhouses of our cells. By increasing the number and size of your mitochondria, you are indirectly increasing your body’s ability to produce energy! Wouldn’t we all love a little more of that? The mitochondria are responsible for using the krebs cycle to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This is our body’s form of energy. By increasing energy, the metabolism also gets revved up. Win, win!

Studies are also showing that the old-school training of performing long, steady-state cardio, although beneficial for cardiovascular and endurance training, increases the body’s inflammation. This can lead to chronic side-effects. Regardless of the exercise performed, cortisol is a byproduct, which is inflammatory to the body. However, by reducing the amount of time spent in a cortisol-producing state, while still maximizing benefits, your body will have less inflammation, while still achieving the desired results.

With HIIT, you can get a complete workout, with all of the above benefits, in less time, which leaves more time to complete the laundry list of mommy to-dos. If you haven’t given it a shot, it’s time to HIIT that!