Discover the Benefits of Interval Training

Whether you're a serious athlete or a novice to exercise, everyone can benefit from interval training. It's a method of cardiovascular exercise that helps you burn more fat and calories than exercising at a slow and steady pace. This can be particularly helpful if you have Diabetes and need to lose weight to help manage your blood sugar levels.

Not only does interval training burn more fat and calories, but it also increases your endurance, strengthens your heart and improves your metabolism because your body continues to burn calories long after you've finished your workout.

What is interval training?

Interval training is similar to sports that involve a lot of start-and-stop motions. This type of workout alternates between high intensity and low intensity intervals.

The high intensity part of your workout is called a sprint interval, even though you don't necessarily have to sprint. For example, a sprint interval for a runner might include 60 seconds of running at full speed, but if you're in a gym on an elliptical trainer, your sprint interval could be 10 minutes of exercise on a slow, steep incline. Sprint intervals can be measured either in time or distance.

The low intensity part of your workout is called a rest interval, although you don't stop exercising. You just perform the exercise at a lower intensity. Rest intervals allow your body to recover from the sprint intervals and gear up for the next one.

You can also vary the intensity of the sprint intervals. Think of intensity as a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being no effort involved, while 10 is the maximum effort you can give. Your intensity level is completely personal and based on your level of fitness. If you're just a novice at a particular activity, a "10" effort in the first week might only be a "5" after a few weeks, when you build endurance and stamina for that exercise.

Similarly, your intensity level can change based on your energy level from day to day. What might be a "4" on the bike one day could be a "6" the next. It all depends on how you feel physically and mentally on any given day.

Interval training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and calories and can be done at any fitness level and activity. With interval training, you can realize big benefits from just a 20 minute workout and gradually add time to your workouts as you build strength and endurance.