Often called sprint interval training, or even just plain HIIT, high-intensity interval training uses short, powerful workouts to take down unwanted fatty tissue in short order. It isn’t so much a kind of exercise itself so much as it is a methodology or philosophy of approaching how you exercise to get the most possible benefit.

Because of the intensity and strain involved in this technique, sessions of HIIT will rarely last for more than half an hour. In fact, some may be as short as half that.

HIIT isn’t always used constantly over a session’s time frame, but may often have a ratio of HIIT to non-HIIT. The most common ratio is for the HIIT periods to be double in length to the less strenuous portions of the routine.

Like most forms of exercise, HIIT involves a warming up section before and a cool down section after. The difference lies in the middle period, where HIIT is alternated with mid-level exercises frequently and repeatedly.

This use of HIIT, non-HIIT, HIIT, non-HIIT over and over gives a smooth, natural flow to the workout routine not unlike the motion of ocean waves. It can help you focus better, enjoy your exercise more, and keep you less stressed (as you know you’ll only have to keep up your maximum effort for a relatively short time in any given HIIT segment of a session).

While the number of cycles from high to mid-level exercises will vary based on the exact type of exercise you do, most proponents of HIIT recommend at least half a dozen cycles in a session. Of course, if you’re just starting out there’s no shame in being a little less than ideal at first… that gives you something to work for.

Besides its other benefits, HIIT is more time-efficient than most exercise routines that focus on endurance while still giving similar benefits. It allows you to take control over your schedule and squeeze in a quick, fulfilling session whenever you can.

One beloved method of HIIT is known as the Tabata Method, a recently developed, ultra-fast technique variation that consists of cycles of twenty seconds high-intensity exercise followed by ten seconds of rest, continued for four minutes. In a study, the Tabata Method was shown to do just as well as steady-state techniques in most major respects, save for anaerobic improvements, which were superior for those using HIIT over non-HIIT.

HIIT can be adjusted to almost any exercise, but is particularly well-suited for cardio. It has been proven to burn fat more powerfully than non-HIIT methods, as well as aiding in the body’s processing of oxygen.

As if that wasn’t enough, HIIT can also help experts who are already training hard. It’s been known to help performance significantly for bodybuilders and other athletes who’ve hit the peak of their steady endurance levels.

As a final endorsement for this wonderful advanced exercise method, if you’re not already convinced, you may want to consider it if you’re having trouble with your insulin levels. HIIT has been known to cause considerable improvement in insulin levels for men of reasonable health, which can help to prevent diabetes.

HIIT is a technique anyone can start at any time. So don’t be afraid to get out there and give it a try… you might just love what you see as a result.

Aerobics is a time-tested way of getting a body in great shape. But not all of us are suited to the demands of aerobics… leg injuries, arthritis, and other issues can temporarily or permanently put a damper on that wonderful activity.

But along comes water to save the day! That’s right, simple water, one of the most basic elements of life, can help you get the exercise you need without any discomfort even if you have severe handicaps.

Water-based sports have been around for a long time, but by far the most popular of them has been swimming. The strain of swimming isn’t for everyone, though, and that same water pressure that pushes against the body in swimming can also hold it up in aerobics exercises.

Water aerobics is, simply put, aerobics done in the water, usually chest-deep in a swimming pool. It may also, at the user’s discretion, make use of fun or helpful accessories like floatation devices, weights, or of course the ever-enjoyable musical background accompaniment.

Water resistance slows and cushions the body, and keeps gravity from bearing down so heavily. All these traits make water-based aerobics exceptionally safer for muscles and joints.

Appropriate water temperature will also keep the body cool at a constant rate. This prevents overheating and allows you to go longer at your favorite exercises while tiring less easily.

Because of these health benefits, many doctors will recommend water aerobics for the injured or ill. It’s one of the most comforting, unintimidating, and easily-mastered of ways to exercise.

And, for the squeamish, of course water will mitigate the influence of sweat! That foul odor and annoying tickling sensation that may jerk away your concentration from your routine are obliterated in the presence of cool, encompassing liquid water.

It’s also a great way to get a change of scenery and grab a breath of fresh air. Most of us don’t have indoor swimming pools, after all, and a little sunshine or birds singing overhead can give you new found enthusiasm for a previously indoors-only activity.

To be fair, there is a minor drawback to doing your aerobics in the water. The resistance provided by the water will slow you down a bit, thus causing you to burn fewer calories compared to doing the same activity on dry land.

However, the fact that you can keep exercising in the water for longer helps even this out. If you go into water aerobics with the right mindset and technique, you’ll eventually step out of the pool amazed at how good you look.

If you’re interested in getting started, you can try with a simple jogging motion. The reduced pressure on your joints makes it a lot more pleasant on water than on land, which can be a pleasant surprise if you’re used to the ache of bad knees.

To further emphasize physical limitations on ground, if you’ve been frustrated that you can’t do power stepping becuase of leg trouble, water aerobics is your ticket to enjoying those steps. Whether the steps are built-in or a weighted, portable accessory, you can step up and down with a lot of speed and very little strain or stress on even the most sensitive parts of your joints.

There are many other kinds of exercises you can do in the water, so if the few examples tossed out don’t peak your interest, look around and see what’s out there! The water’s just waiting to be used, so you might as well enjoy it.

So you’ve had vague thoughts about getting some extra cardio into your lifestyle, but you don’t know where to start. And it seems like so much trouble for very little gain, so you keep putting it off!

Everyone knows that one of the best and cheapest ways to stay fit is to simply go for a little regular jogging. After all, running doesn’t require special equipment besides appropriate footwear and clothes, and you can do it almost anywhere.

But many people spend unnecessarily large amounts of time running on flat surfaces when they could get more out of themselves in less time with the simple addition of elevation. That’s right, hill sprinting is the newer, better way of running for a healthier you.

If you think running faster equals running better, you need to know right now that nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the slower pace required by hill sprinting serves to protect your hamstrings… while not sacrificing a single drop of the workout potential for muscle growth and cardiovascular improvement.

Hill sprinting also uses elevation and gravity to reinforce a good running technique on you quite naturally. With just a few tries, you’ll find that you’ll instinctively have the right arm-swinging motion and forward lean to help you run better both on a hill and off it.

If you thought ordinary sprinting was a great burner of calories, hill sprinting will truly amaze you. Gravity and incline serve to create an experience that combines the best aspects of running and weightlifting, as you push your body rapidly upwards and forwards to burn off fat quicker than almost any other exercise would do for you.

On an emotional level, hill springing is also very fulfilling, which can give you the drive you need to get through those particularly challenging sessions. Instead of as in a regular jog, where you’d end up right back where you started, you’re standing atop a scenic, possibly massive hill, surveying all around you.

So, with all those advantages in mind, are you ready to try for a little hill sprinting? Not so fast, you still need to prepare yourself first!

First, you should begin with a very light, unstraining jog for a minute or less. A single lap is enough, just to get the body warmed up and limber for action.

After that, you’ll want to prep your lower body and legs with several easy flexing exercises. Squats, hip rotations, and spine twisters are all recommended; just a few of each to get the most important parts of your body ready for the hill to come.

Finally, you should finish off with another sprint. This sprint should be more challenging than your earlier run, and at least three times as long, but not up to anything like full speed.

Once you’re at that glorious hill, remember that quality counts over quantity. Go for short, powerful sprints, with shorter rests between, to build the most power in the least amount of time.

Before you know it, you’ll be looking so good that even the bodybuilders will be asking you what your secret is. When you smile and tell them it’s a hill, you can enjoy being totally honest while keeping them in the dark!

Biking, also popularly known as cycling (short for, naturally, bicycling) is one of the most popular competitive solo sports in the world. And this is for good reason: it offers a great workout on the body, an exciting rush. and terrific scenery… for relatively little investment.

The simple rapid mobility enabled by biking is one of the major advantages of the exercise that non-bikers often forget to take into account. It can help the time pass by much quicker than other exercises, making it more enjoyable and less frustrating.

It’s easily worked into most lifestyles, and can be done alone or with family and friends. And, of course, it can also double as a practical means of transportation, being much cheaper than filling up the car every time you want to go to the store.

Biking focuses on the legs and gluts to give your lower region an excellent workout, making everything from climbing stairs to walking easier over the long run. It also helps with one’s physical coordination, and can shed unwanted fatty tissue.

Perhaps the most medically significant trait of biking is that it helps combat certain heart diseases. Being aerobic in nature (but without that oh so annoying workout tape!), it increases the flow of oxygen to your heart and lungs, and gives them the strength and stamina to keep on going.

The combined traits mentioned above allow biking to offer very apparent benefits to your everyday life. After biking for a while, you’ll find yourself breathing easier when exerting yourself, moving around on your own legs more fluidly, and getting tired less often.

On the mental side, it’s already been mentioned that biking makes time melt away through the fun of seeing the quickly-changing scenery. But this is in fact so effective that a little regular biking can not only make your workout easier… it can help combat the emotionally damaging and productivity hindering depression almost all people in sedentary lifestyles are prone to.

As if all this wasn’t enough, it can also help fight diabetes and cancer in some cases. Isn’t that worth the investment in a bike?

Being environmentally friendly, practical, and fully within the control of the user, biking is consistently one of the most beloved ways of working out at little expense. As little as a hundred dollars can get you on a professional-grade mountain bike… although you should, of course, buy yourself a helmet too!

Safety should be emphasized with all exercises, but particularly with biking. Besides the helmet, you should wear elbow and knee pads, and have clothing that is protective but not constricting or overly heavy.

And, of course, you should finally pay close attention to your environment while biking. Watch out for traffic, unexpected curves in the road, ditches, and stray animals that might happen to roam in front of your path.

By keeping these simple hints in mind you can cycle your way to a new you in a startlingly quick amount of time. Give it a try and invest in a bike, and you won’t look back with doubt afterward.

If you don’t want to pay for a gym membership, and there’s not that many good walking or jogging areas in your region, it may be time to try a more vertical form of exercise. The simple act of walking up and down stairs, which many of us do unthinkingly whenever elevators aren’t available, can serve as an excellent way to improve your stamina and work out your leg muscles.

And it’s an extremely accessible exercise, since it can be done in any building where there are stairs, even your own home. If you’re longing for a more epic backdrop for your routine, you can even try an empty stadium or a monument.

Stairs are everywhere, they’re absolutely free, and they don’t care what time of the day you go walking up and down them! What’s not to like about something just as good as a professional stepping machine that doesn’t cost you a dime?

Stair climbing primarily offers benefits to cardio stamina and general muscular endurance, allowing you to exert yourself more for less effort over time. It’s also easy to scale up or down so you challenge yourself just the right amount, not too little or too much.

Being low-impact and generally quite safe when scaled appropriately to the stepper, this exercise will work the quads, buttocks, and of course the heart. For those of you who are troubled by weak legs or chunky thighs, stair stepping is an ideal solution.

Because stair climbing utilizes gravity and your weight against it, it’s incredibly effective at burning calories for the time invested. And if the weather or environment outside is less than appealing, there’s always interior stairs, to enjoy climate control and good lighting with your exercise.

One way to easily fit stair climbing into your routine is to make use of the stairs at your place of employment. After you’re done working for the day, hit the stairs for a workout before you head on home.

To avoid needless stress and potential injuries, you should make sure to stretch your legs and do a few minutes of walking before you start any given stair climbing session. This will keep your body limber and ready to tackle the challenge to pump you up.

For newcomers to stair climbing, it’s recommended to walk for ten minutes or so after doing a few flights of stairs to allow your body time to recover from the exertion. Every week you can add on a few more minutes to the stairs portion of the routine, watching your body improve in stamina as you step up against gravity with unstrained breathing.

Of course, you should always make sure to wear appropriate shoes for stair climbing! Your shoes should be comfortable but also give support more than the average running shoes, helping your steps spring naturally without getting in your way or slowing you down.

Stair climbing can be a demanding exercise in surprisingly short intervals, so you should keep yourself well hydrated. Don’t stair climb while hungry, either, as the distraction of your stomach may cause you to miss a step with unpleasant consequences.

Remember to train yourself within your practical limitations, or you’ll do more harm than good. This means that if you notice any undesired side effects, such as dizziness or disorientation, you should immediately stop and rest.

One easy mistake of step climbing amateurs is to leave their heel resting off the edge of each step. You should avoid this whenever possible, as not having your entire foot on a step will result in needless and potentially harmful strain on the tendons at the backs of your ankles.

By following these easy tips, you can efficiently use tiny bits of time in your schedule to make huge improvements in your body and quality of life. Don’t be afraid to give stair climbing a try.

There’s nothing quite like the simplicity and effectiveness of running to add some zest and power to anyone’s workout routine. It’s something that you can slide in to almost any lifestyle, and it doesn’t require spending a single penny on equipment.

While others are tossing money away on gym memberships and bulky, expensive home workout equipment, you can be out there just doing what the Good Lord meant for you to do with your legs – running with them! That easy, intuitive act, if kept up over a consistent length of time, will result in a better you who has a newfound appreciation for the air you breathe.

Running doesn’t require anything except for clothes you don’t mind getting sweaty and some decent shoes. Your footwear doesn’t have to be flashy, but it is very important that they support your feet well, so that you feel comfortable exerting yourself to your fullest in them.

With a good pair of shoes to carry you around, you can enjoy running through nature trails or just around the city block, whichever you prefer. Running stands out over most other cardio options for its ability to be adapted to almost any environment.

No matter where you are, you can probably run. A little bit or a lot, it’s all up to you – whatever works for your schedule at the time.

The amount of carbs that can be burned off with running is almost ridiculous. Most people can take off three hundred or more calories in the time it takes to watch a tv program, simply by running at a natural challenging pace.

Once you get into running enough to not be winded quickly, you’ll find that the exercise rapidly gets easier and more enjoyable as you go. You’ll be able to appreciate the scenery more and lose track of time while you run, getting more out of yourself with less and less strain.

If it’s hard going at first, don’t worry, that elevated heart rate is perfectly natural. Once you become used to running over long periods, your heart will become stronger and you’ll get more oxygen flowing throughout your body, making you feel great.

This exercise is almost legendary for its ability to get rid of those fat deposits that’ve been annoying you for all these years. Don’t give up when the going gets tough, and over the long run you’ll find that you can eat all the foods you love while still looking great through the power of running.

Though you truly don’t need any extra purchases to get a lot out of running, some people find that they enjoy it more with the help of a few cheap relevant accessories. For instance, you might want to purchase a sweat band to keep sweat out of your eyes during tiring sessions.

Besides the obvious workout to the heart, lungs, and legs, there’s more parts of the body that also benefit from running. The chest, stomach, and even the brain are all involved to an extent, making it a comprehensive full body workout without the bother of a complicated machine.

If you happen to have a pet dog, you’re in luck! Dogs love to be with their owners and they love to run, so try taking Rover along with you sometime for an extra dose of enjoyment sprinkled on top of your fitness routine.

With all the benefits to running, it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t want to give it a try if you’re not into it already. If you’re intimidated, don’t be… it gets easier as you go, and the results are well worth it.

Looking for some way to spice up your exercise routine, or give yourself that well-balanced, comprehensive workout you’ve unintentionally neglected so far? The often overlooked exercise of rowing might be just what you need. If you’ve never given it a try, you may be skeptical about the benefits, but it’s truly worth the investment. Rowing is one of the few ways to work out almost your entire body… and you can do it while sitting down!

Although rowing seems like an activity that primarily works out the upper body, in fact it actually uses a great deal of leg power. The guidance of each stroke may come from your arms, but your legs are where the real force comes into play. Through this seemingly simple exercise form, all the major muscle groupings in your body get worked on. It excels at building muscle, dropping unwanted fatty tissue, and is a great way to get exposure to the outdoors and nature if you happen to live near an appropriate body of water.

Now, if you aren’t so lucky as to live near a lake, you may think that rowing is barred to you. But the days of actually needing a boat and water to row are long since past. Technology’s advances have resulted in one of the best possible additions to your home gymnasium, the rowing machine. Rowing machines are designed to specifically bring the rowing experience to your home, and are just as effective at building up your body as ‘real’ rowing is, if not more so! This equipment makes use of magnetized resistance methods to provide an imitation of water resistance as you row your way to better legs, better stamina, and stronger arms. The better models will allow you to choose between various settings that imitation different kinds of boats and water types, while the commonly included monitors will help you keep an accurate track of your workout both in terms of distance rowed, speed, and calories burned. Rowing machines are available for as little as under two hundred dollars up to a grand, so there’s a machine out there for every kind of budget and body type, depending on your needs.

Despite the intensity and overall effectiveness of rowing, it’s also a low-impact activity. This means that it’s an ideal way for people to exercise even when they would have difficulty with other exercise routines. If you’re recovering from certain kinds of injuries that inhibit running or other common forms of exercise, or if you get short-winded easily due to that nasty smoking habit, rowing is the activity for you.

Finally, if you enjoy competing to be your best, there are a variety of competitions available at regional, national, and international levels. Whether you want to push yourself to a new level or just enjoy socializing with people who also enjoy rowing through clubs, there’s a competition to enjoy. Feel free to get out there and make a brand new you of yourself with an easier than ever exercise that will leave you better from head to toe.

Like most of us, you need a way to shape up. You could spend a lot of money on an exercise machine of some kind, but who can afford that these days? And if you buy one only to let it go to waste due to schedule interferences, you’ll be kicking yourself for decades to come. They’re not cheap investments, after all! However, there is a very basic exercise to help keep you fit and trim that is available to everyone with two working legs: the simple yet worthwhile exercise of walking.

Walking can be done in almost any weather if necessary, in almost all environments, and it’s completely free. If you’re not doing it on at least a weekly basis, you’re missing out on far too much easy exercise! To get the absolute most exercise possible out of walking, there are a few tricks that the pros use to get really pumped but not exhausted. By squeezing all the potential from your walks, you empower yourself to reach peak fitness with minimal time investment.

Simple correct posture is absolutely paramount, and will allow you to walk further, faster, without any extra effort. Stand straight, and keep your head level. That means your chin should be pointed straight! Don’t fall into the trap of lowering your head while listening to music on your headphones, that just makes more strain and prevents you from seeing where you are. Don’t be afraid to swing your arms, but keep them at an angle slightly under ninety degrees, and don’t cross them over your body. Keep your left arm on your left side and your right arm on your right side for minimal strain, and do’t swing too high or too little.

A classic mistake many walkers make at first is to try and get faster by taking larger steps. This is a simple error that should be corrected immediately. The human body is only designed to comfortably step so far, and if you try to overstep, you actually make yourself less efficient. By stepping too far, you’ll tire out quicker and get less exercise. If you want to pick up the pace, simply take more, faster, smaller steps rather than longer steps.

And while we’re on stepping, you should know the correct way to work your feet into each step. You may never have thought about it before, but the proper way of stepping will allow your body to naturally spring along. An unnatural step will become an awkward shuffle. Start by using your toes to propel your foot up off the ground and onwards. When your foot meets the ground again, it should initially fall on the flat of the heel, and then go on rolling forward through the sole to the toes again. By establishing a natural rhythm this way, you can get your body springing into action in no time, and forget how many steps you’ve taken or how far you’ve walked.

Lastly, although it’s not absolutely necessary, many people find they get more out of walking by purchasing relevant fitness tools. The right clothes to get you in the mood and keep your body well-aired, or a simple monitor for your heart or other walking statistics, can make the difference between a consistent workout and an inconsistent one. If you feel that you need this extra help, don’t be ashamed to get it. It’s better to have a boost up than it is to try to walk regularly and fail.

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Antioxidants are absolutely critical for basic living, and if you keep track of your carbs or your vitamin intake, why wouldn’t you keep track of your antioxidants too? There are many different types of antioxidants that help you to live your life the way it needs to be lived, but it’s worth the effort to keep a rough idea of how much of each type you’re getting in your regular diet.

Without enough antioxidants, you can suffer from oxidative stress, which has been linked to many different diseases. Research is still ongoing in this complex area of human nutrition, but scientific studies have shown possible links in low antioxidants to everything from heart diseases to cancer. While taking antioxidant supplements is generally inadvisable as it may lead to too many antioxidants in your system, it’s nonetheless highly suggested that you get an adequate amount of antioxidants in your daily diet.

Antioxidants are useful for many different parts of the body, almost so many that it can be a little bewildering to keep track of all the benefits! For example, they can be used to treat brain injuries from trauma-based damage and are currently being explored for the purpose of treating degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Antioxidants come in great quantities in fruits and vegetables, which are a foundational part of any well-balanced diet. Eating them can help protect against heart disease, cancer, and even possibly hearing loss. Antioxidant-based supplements have so far shown little to no real effect in scientific tests for having these benefits. Therefore it can be reasonably concluded that antioxidants are best taken as a part of a rounded diet alongside other nutrients, rather than singled out to be taken in excess.

This is good news, since it means that just eating healthy will help you get the necessary amount of antioxidants. Shelling out extra cash for supplements is entirely unnecessary. In fact, indulging in these supplements can actually have negative effects, particularly for people with active lifestyles. Too many antioxidants is theorized to result in a decrease on exercise-related benefits, thus resulting in the practitioner ‘staying in place’ with regards to health despite working out. So don’t fall for antioxidant supplement marketing; all the antioxidants you could ever want or need are provided for in a natural diet. See to your diet so that’s essentially healthy and balanced, and you won’t need supplements for it.

Since antioxidants are so complex, it can be hard to measure them. But you can get a rough working idea of your intake by remembering which food types contain which types of antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are rich in ascorbic acid and various vegetable-based oils have vitamin E. Both fruits AND vegetables, along with, believe it or not, eggs, contain excellent levels of carotenoids. Lastly, polyphenolic antioxidants can be found in a wide variety of substances: tea, coffee, oregano, red wine, soy, olive oil, and even chocolate all contain it!

This makes polyphenics some of the most enjoyable antioxidants for most people to acquire in their diets. But you should have a balance of all four types if you want to have a healthy body. Is there ever a time when you would say to yourself that you don’t need to be able to think clearly or remember things well? No? Well, that’s why you need a regular healthy intake of antioxidants.