Whether you typically race through your workouts at max intensity, or take your sweet time, research suggests that a little bit of both, interchanging short bursts of high-intensity exercise with an easy, slow pace, might be just the ticket. While this method is hardly new to sport and fitness, a workout with steep peaks and valleys of intensity has come back into vogue for its ability to improve cardiovascular fitness and raise the body’s ability to burn fat. Past studies have shown that interval workouts can be just as effective, regardless of a person's level of fitness or physical condition. To have the most efficient interval workout, the high-intensity segment should be strenuous enough that a person should be out of breath, while the following slow paced portion should not exceed the time it takes for a person’s pulse to reach its resting rate.
For example, a 30 minute treadmill workout could involve 5-10 minutes of low-moderate intensity warm-up followed by 4-5 interval cycles composed of 3 minutes of low-moderate intensity followed by 2 minutes of moderate-high intensity running, following by a 5 minute cool-down at low intensity. Activity levels during each segment should be personalized based on an individual's fitness level and physical ability. High intensity or vigorous activity is not safe for everyone, check with your doctor first.
Why is interval training so useful?
One advantage is that it enables exercisers to perform more high-intensity activity overall than they could in a single sustained effort. In addition, interval workouts can also add significant variety to a workout routine, decreasing boredom and helping to keep you going back for more!
So whether you commonly exercise short and fast, or longer at a moderate intensity, try to incorporate at least 1 interval type workout into your routine each week. You never know… you just might like it!
Special thanks to contributing authors: nutrition interns Elizabeth Dunwiddie and Meagan O’Brian.
Based on a New York Times article by Peter Jaret, May 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/fashion/03Fitness.html?pagewanted=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1306426018-+Yf44PjqZ/Ijr8wjHrMEMQ
1 comment:
The instructions for this recipe mention walnuts but I don't see them listed in the ingredients. Are there supposed to be walnuts and if so, how much? I didn't know if they had been included in calculating the nutional information or not. Thanks.
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