Interval Training-What is it?

What is interval training?  Interval training is when you are going as hard as you can for a specified amount of time you than rest or have an active rest for a specified amount of time.  See example below

2 Minutes- at 85% of your max heart rate or on a scale of 1-10 you are at an 8.  

1 Minute-at 50% heart rate or on a scale of 1-10 you are at a 2.

*Repeat this for 20-30 minutes.  

Can Intervals be done on any apparatus?

Yes you can do intervals on the treadmill, bike, elliptical, stair master.

I recently went to a fitness conference where I learned the wave of the future of intervals I will share with you the workout below!! I personally tried it and burned 500 calories in the 30 minutes doing the workout so I highly recommend it if you have no heart issues.

3 in 1 workout

*This workout can be done again on any cardio apparatus-I did mine on the treadmill.  Also if you have a heart rate monitor it helps you during this workout.

First 10 minutes:

20 seconds at 95% of your max heart rate 

40 seconds active rest 

Next 15 Minutes:

50% max heart rate the entire 15 minutes

Last 10 Minutes:

30 Seconds at 95% of your max heart rate

90 Seconds active Rest 

*I will write the exact program I did personally for you visual learners (Like myself)

On the treadmill

20 Seconds- I ran at 9.5/10mph

40 seconds- I walked at 3.5mph

On the Elliptical/Pre-Cor

15 Minutes- I kept my heart rate around 65% instead of 50%

On the Treadmill

30 Seconds- I ran 9.5/10 mph

90 Seconds-I walked at 3.5mph 

Burn those calories!!

Fit Gadgets are they worth it?

After coming across a video by Anderson Cooper in which they had wonderful fitness gadgets throughout Americas history I was encouraged to write a blog about some of those products and there benefits (or lack there of).  

Below is the video from Anderson Cooper:

Anderson Cooper-Fitness Gadgets

Some of the products in the video was the lovely face yoga.  I recently saw this being done on a Rosie Pope show well does it work?  I have my doubts, I do remember my mother doing these moves from the lady in Anderson's video.  I would say it is more for sure than actually working it might add a few wrinkles when you have to stretch your tongue out so far, but no data supporting the benefits.  

Riding a horse back and forth side to side well you truly are not doing much of the work you just need to stay on the saddle.  Well you will get a little burn in the inner thighs and core work not enough to benefit you at all.  

Shake weight- Well what does this actually do for you besides make your arm fat jiggle, not much.  Your muscles are not contracting enough or at all to give you muscle growth or even to tone your arms with this weight.  Plus you are burning minimal calories since your heart rate is not going up and you can do this sitting down and you will burn even fewer calories that way.  

So if these quick fixes don't work what does?  Well good old fashion diet and exercise does.  If you need a place to start try hiring a trainer who can set you up with a good plan.  Unfortunately there are no quick fixes and you do need to put in a little effort and sweat to make your goals a reality.  Nothing replaces hard work.   

Pets as workout buddies

If your in a workout rut and you want someone to play with look no further than your dog.  Dogs are great workout buddies they can help set your pace or give you an extra push.  If you like to run your dog can bring a whole new aspect to your training.  For women they can also add a sense of security.  

Growing up I would always take my dog on bike rides with me.  My dog Shadow loved to run along beside me.  He would be very protective anytime we came across a strange dog and make sure the coast was clear for me to bike or run thru.  

Another great reason working out with your pet can be a new adventure in some cities they now have people and dog yoga.  You can actually do a yoga class with your dog.  If your dog is not that well trained it might not be the best option for you.  

So I challenge you if you have not try to go for a bike ride or run with your dog to amp up your workout this week.  If you have a cat this article may not pertain to you :)