HIIT Cardio: Maximize Your Fat Burn

Let's explore a little further...what is HIIT?  How long?  What intensity?  Why should I do it?

What is HIIT:
I have answered before what HIIT is but to refresh:  High Intensity Interval Training.  Before you scoff and say "I can't do HIGH INTENSITY I am just a beginner," hear me out.  This type of cardio can be done by anyone because it is based on your individual tolerance.  I recommend that you get yourself an inexpensive heart rate monitor and use that to track your progress unless you are one of those freaks like me who judges based on feeling like throwing up!

Duration:
You only need 20-30 minutes to perform you intervals.  They will be short in duration, with each interval lasting approximately 60-90 seconds.  You can alternate work intervals and rest periods until you reach your total time.  The rest period should be long enough for your heart rate to return to 60-75% of your max heart rate or in simple terms, you become "conversational" again.  If you still feel like you can't talk then your heart hasn't recovered enough.  TIP:  Make sure you have some motivational music on for those work intervals to get you really moving!

Mode:
Many have asked what is the best machine for me to use for cardio?  Well the answer is there is no answer.  You can perform HIIT cardio machines such as the elliptical, treadmill, spinning bike, stair mill, or stair stepper, or you can also swim or do sprints outside.  No matter your preference of mode of exercise, you should be able to perform HIIT cardio.  As long as you are taking your heart rate up for a period of time and then letting it recover, you are doing it.  Many bootcamps are run as a HIIT cardio type of routine (and you could argue P90X and Insanity are variations of HIIT).

I like to do HIIT on the elliptical that has the arm movement incorporated so I use my total body.  In the following picture you can see my calorie burn in only 25 minutes.  I set the resistance to 10 (out of 20) and used the intervals on a program to keep track of time.  I alternated 1 minute of work with 1 minute of rest for 20 minutes with a 2.5 minute warmup and cooldown.  On the work minutes I kept the RPM around 85-90 (bustin it!) and on the rest I just tried to keep moving.

25 minute HIIT on elliptical calorie burn

Finally, I wanted to show you all my breakfast today.  I am switching things up a bit and trying organic wheat bran in the morning instead of oats.  It will take some getting used to (I love oats!) but let me give you some reasoning.

Organic Wheat Bran (1/2 cup):  20 g carb (14 g fiber), 0 g fat, 4 g protein, 60 kcal

Whole Grain Oats (1/2 cup):  27 g carb (4 g fiber), 2.5 g fat, 5 g protein, 150 kcal

You could also sub an oat bran as well.  Consider switching to an organic bran over the "whole grain." Basically you are getting the part of the grain that contains the best source of insoluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber is good for keeping the digestive system working properly and giving you the extra "roughage" you need.  I would say that most out there are not taking in enough fiber, so this is a great way to up your intake.

Here is my breakfast:

1/2 cup Organic Wheat Bran (cooked with water)

1 packet Truvia

1/2 Tbs. 100% natural cacao

1 scoop whey protein (peanut butter flavor)

Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla roast with 1 packet Truvia...delish!

Gets my day started right and kills the chocolate craving!

Keep the comments coming because they fuel the content!  I love to hear what you guys think.  One simple YES could change your life forever..