Ready, Set... Intervals!

Have I convinced you to move around more? Did you find time in your day when you could fit in a little more movement? I hope so! I thought about it yesterday as well. Some days my number is well above 10,000, other days… not so much. As with all things related to the body, it is a constant process because we are constantly changing.

As promised (a day late), this blog is all about exercise! You don’t need to go out and get yourself a personal trainer, though I wish I could be standing next to all of you giving you motivation as you suffer through your first set of interval. In fact, you don’t even have to go join a gym (I don’t belong to a gym… but I have a treadmill. Thank you, Kyle!)

Let’s break it down:

I am fully aware that not all people are up for jumping on a treadmill and cranking out 20 minutes of intervals on their first day. The first day I started training my sister, Emmy, she didn’t want me anywhere near her when she was on the treadmill. “Bekah, I don’t run. I am not like you. I can’t do it.” Fine, I said, and she proceeded to walk /run at her own accord without any interference from me. After one work out of realizing she wasn’t going to die from raising her heart rate above normal, she asked for my help to amplify her workout. Little did she know… BUT today Emmy runs 3-4 days a week. She went from the girl who cried “I can’t!” to a sexy running machine. HOW???? More on that later…

IF YOU HAVE NEVER WORKED OUT BEFORE: Let’s take this week slow. Realize that raising your heart rate feels good. Like Elle Woods said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” Let’s put a little more happiness in your life this week! I want you to dedicate 3 days to activity. Mark them on your calendar and do not deviate from those planned days. On those days, I want you to take a long (45 minute or more) speed walk. Not a “chat with your best friend” walk, a “huff and puff, swing those arms” walk. When you feel like you want to slow down, DON’T. Prove to yourself you can do it without slowing down. See what it feels like to use muscles that have been sedentary for far too long. If you get sore, tough it out. Muscles rebound faster when they are used again. The key to not being sore is to work out again (I know, it’s messed up but true. You WILL feel worse if you don’t move through the soreness). Sound like a plan?! Put it into action this week. We will switch it up next week.

FOR THE REST OF YOU… whether you belong to a gym or not, this is when interval training commences.

How did Emmy get acclimated to running so quickly? How did she build her speed so fast? How did she lose 6 pounds in a week (of course, part was from eating correctly)? INTERVAL TRAINING.

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Interval training is a high intensity workout that produces more muscle mass, longer caloric burn, and an extended heightened metabolic rate through bursts of high heart rate changes.

A little science… Low-intensity training (i.e. running 3 miles at a consistent pace) only burns calories for the duration of the workout. Once you stop running, you stop burning. It also does not build as much muscle mass, which is essential for raising your metabolic rate (muscle burns fat just by sitting on your body). Think of a marathon runner. They are in great shape, but if you were to put them next to a sprinter, they would look like a shrimp.

High intensity interval training burns fat and calories long after you are finished working out because of the muscle mass that your body will be creating and the rise in your metabolic rate (because of the extra muscle on your body). AND it creates lean muscle mass… which should make all women happy. Who doesn’t want to be described as lean?!

HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Interval Training is built to be a short intense workout (20 minutes) with bursts of high and low heart rates. Here is what you do:

IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A TREADMILL:
If you are a person that has never run before, start with this routine (this is where Emmy started):
Minute 1: 3.5 speed
Minute 2: 3.5 speed
Minute 3: 4.0
Minute 4: 4.5
Minute 5: 5.0
Minute 6: 5.5
Minute 7: 4.0
Minute 8: 4.5
Minute 9: 5.0
Minute 10: 5.5
Minute 11: 4.0
Minute 12: 4.5
Minute 13: 5.0
Minute 14: 5.5
Minute 15: 4.0
Minute 16: 4.5
Minute 17: 5.0
Minute 18: 5.5
Minute 19: 6.0
Minute 20: 4.0

Here is the key to intervals: When you want to slow down or fall off the treadmill, DON’T. As I told Emmy, you can do ANYTHING for a minute. Don’t let yourself down. Also, if you start at this speed and are not begging for the workout to be over, YOU NEED TO GO FASTER. Increase your speed the next time you do it.


If you have experience running…
When I started interval training 5 years ago, I began at this speed. I had been running on and off for a few months beforehand.
Minute 1: 5.0
Minute 2: 5.0
Minute 3: 5.5
Minute 4: 6.0
Minute 5: 6.5
Minute 6: 7.0
Minute 7: 5.5
Minute 8: 6.0
Minute 9: 6.5
Minute 10: 7.0
Minute 11: 5.5
Minute 12: 6.0
Minute 13: 6.5
Minute 14: 7.0
Minute 15: 5.5
Minute 16: 6.0
Minute 17: 6.5
Minute 18: 7.0
Minute 19: 7.5
Minute 20: 5.5

IF YOU DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO A TREADMILL…
You don’t need a treadmill to do interval training. All you need are your 2 legs. Follow this plan:
Get out your stop watch. Head outside. Do a 2 minute warm up of a quick walk or light jog. After 2 minutes, sprint for 1 minute (time it out on your watch and don’t stop before the minute is up). After the minute, slow down to a fast walk or light jog (DO NOT SLOW DOWN COMPLETELY) for one minute. Repeat the sprint/jog combination for 20 minutes. Since you don’t have a treadmill to keep your legs moving, be good to yourself and DON’T CHEAT.

FOR EVERYONE: Do this exercise 3 times this week.

Okay, I hope this give people some direction! If you have questions, post them to the blog and I will answer them. Also, a disclaimer: As I stated in my first blog, I am 9 months pregnant. I DO NOT do interval training while pregnant, nor should anyone else. If you have a bun in the oven, don’t attempt to be superwoman. Stick to low-intensity exercise.