Have you been focusing on your weight and fitness for a long time, but suddenly found that your weight loss has hit a plateau no matter how hard you work? Or have you been working out but think that you could kick it up a notch and make an even more significant difference to your wellness and wellbeing? Whatever the reason, there are always ways to boost your workout and improve the way that you are burning calories.
Interval training is the latest and greatest way to get cardio exercise into your routine. The technique has long been a favourite with competitive athletes, and it is now making its way into the amateur fitness circles. It is incredibly popular because it can reduce your workout time enormously whilst also increasing the number of calories that you burn.
In order to do interval training, spend around two to five minutes working out at a slow or moderate pace, and then increase your efforts to nearly your maximum ability and hold this for around 30 seconds to two minutes. Then go back to the slow pace again. Keep repeating this cycle as you work out, alternating between periods of intensity and periods of taking it easy. This throws your body out of homeostasis and requires it to work at restoring the balance for around 24 hours after your workout, which leads to an increased calorie burn.
One recent study from the University of Colorado involved studying participants as they did a workout that involved four minutes of gentle cycling on an exercise bike, interspersed with 30 seconds of flat out spring cycling. Researchers found that after the workout was complete, participants continued to burn around 200 calories more than normal for the rest of the day.
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