Everyone knows that the best cardio workouts that produce the best results require pounding the pavement (or the treadmill) for up to an hour at a time…wrong! Unfortunately, this seems to be a misconception that can put your weight loss efforts at a standstill and leave you incredibly frustrated.
As a personal trainer, I am confident that performing your cardio session in the form of interval training will blow your weight loss plateau out of the water. As a mom, I am even more excited to tell you that it is going to require less time at the gym. I know what you’re thinking…sounds too good to be true.
Let me explain. Over time your body has the ability to adapt to long sessions of steady pace cardio. As a result, your body will conserve energy and burn fewer calories (plateau). On the other hand, interval cardio keeps your body guessing. Since a greater demand is placed on your body during the workout, your metabolism can increase by up to 15 times its basil metabolism (Making the Cut, Jillian Micheals). It also produces an “after burn” effect meaning that your metabolic rates stays elevated for hours after an intense interval session in an effort to return itself to its pre-workout state. Such energy is not required after a long low-intensity cardio session. In addition, long sessions can actually sacrifice your hard earned muscle if you’re not careful. Remember, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn throughout the day.
So, what do I mean by interval training? Interval training revolves around regular bursts of intensity followed by longer periods of recovery. For example, your treadmill workout might consist of 30 seconds at a high intensity (fast run) followed by 90 seconds at a lower intensity (jog). You would repeat that cycle 6-8 times. The good news is a workout of this type shouldn’t take any more than 15-20 minutes and it can be performed on any type of cardio machine. So, with a warm up, a cool down and even some stretching you should be out of the gym (or off the pavement) within 25-30 minutes. The bad news…well, it’s not really bad news. You just should not perform this type of intense weight loss workout on consecutive days in order to prevent injury and let your body recover. Two to three times a week is plenty. That means there is still a place for those long distance runs 1-2 times a week that we love so much…or is that just me?
Remember, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than we take in. Yes, you’re going to have to sweat and get out of your comfort zone a little. However, the results are worth it and more time with family is a bonus!
Click here for pre-designed workout routines, interval cardio, and more weight loss tips and tricks.
Sommer Tucker
http://www.real-moms-real-fit.com
