Let's HIIT It!
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. – Jim Rohn
When short on time, workouts and healthy meals usually drop to the bottom of the priority list. Taking care of your body becomes an afterthought during the busy holiday season and any spare time is spent shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, attending parties and other holiday endeavors. Who has time to go to the gym several times a week or spend hours in the kitchen preparing healthy meals this time of year? The good news is that you actually don’t need to!
What if there was a workout that required no fancy equipment, no travel to the gym, was short enough to fit into your busy schedule and still gave you a good calorie burn? HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, fits the bill. It is an effective way to break a sweat with nothing but a little floor space and burn calories in a short amount of time. The key to HIIT is to keep the intensity high and the recovery short.
Here is a simple formula for creating your own HIIT workout:
Pick 4-8 bodyweight exercises
Perform the first exercise for a certain amount of time (45 seconds to 1 minute)
Immediately move on to each exercise, again performing for the same amount of time
Once you’ve performed each exercise, Rest for 45 seconds to 1 minute before starting the next set.
Perform 4-10 sets (according to how much time and energy you have)
Looking for some inspiration? Here is a list of some effective bodyweight exercises:
Squats, Lunges, Jump Squats, Jump Lunges, Skaters, Frog Jumps, Side Shuffles
Pushups, Plank Walkups, Pushup Jacks, Plank Shoulder Taps, Plyo Pushups
Burpees, Jumping Jacks, High Knees, Butt Kicks, Tuck Jumps, Side Burpees
Plank, Side Plank, Wall Squat, Lunge Hold, Superman Hold, Plank Punches
Not sure where to start? Here is a sample of a quick 20 minute workout that will not only get your calorie furnace burning, but leave you with plenty of time for your holiday activities.
Perform each of the following for 1 minute each, resting only when you’ve performed all exercises. Complete 5 sets total:
Jumping Jacks
Pushups
Squat Jumps
Burpees
Plank
If you aren’t familiar with any of these exercises, you can find instructional videos on YouTube, or contact me directly for guidance. Taking care of your body this holiday season is the best gift you can give yourself!