The Interval Path to Feeling Better and Looking Younger!
Tired of feeling old and run down? Want to look and feel younger? Then turn up the intensity and try interval training. Interval training is a great way to increase oxygen demands and slow down the aging process. Interval training is a workout technique that consists of short burst of intense exertion followed by a short period of active recovery. The brief period of high intensity forces the body to adapt in ways that slow the aging process.
So how do you get started? Easy, keep it simple choose two exercises for instance push up and jumping jacks. The push up will be considered the high intensity interval which you will perform as many repetitions as possible within a 1 minute time frame. After the 1 minute of pushups is performed you will stand up and execute 30 seconds of jumping jack which is considered the “active recovery”. Active recovery is an exercise that is performed at a low intensity to decrease your heart rate slightly from the previous exercise without stopping. This is an example of a strength/cardio interval workout which is great because you incorporate strength training with or without weights into a cardio derived workout. Interval training is a great tool to use when trying to lose weight. By performing the strength training aspect you are building more lean muscle while burning fat at the same time. Building muscle is a vital component of any type of prolonged weight loss program. By building muscle you are increasing your metabolic rate which will allow you to burn more calories throughout the day. So just by building more lean muscle you will be able to lose fat faster and keep it off.
Not sure how to vary your workouts? Here are some good components to keep in mind when designing a interval workout.

Speed: Increasing the speed of a run/walk or exercise is a great way to boost the intensity, but stay within your limits especially working with weights don’t try to do too much or go too fast and cause injury to yourself or others.

Resistance: The more resistance/ weight involved the harder the exercise will become therefore the more energy needed to perform the movement. Easy resistance techniques would be running uphill, using your body weight to perform basic exercise, run into the wind, swim against the current, and adding weights is also another easy way to increase the intensity of any exercise. Once again safety is the number one priority so stay within your limits and stay injury free.

Upper/lower split: The idea behind this is mainly weight training derived. The concept is to work an upper body muscle ex: Back (bent over rows) followed by a leg exercise ex: Quadriceps (leg extensions). The reasoning behind this split is to allow one muscle group to rest while still working out the other. This is a great technique for those who would rather do their strength training and cardio training separate.

Duration: The interval of you workout can vary depending on your fitness level and goals. You can do any type of intervals you choose as long as one is “different” than the other. In this case different means a different type of strain on the body as we discussed above, any change in speed, resistance, or muscle type of any sort would be considered “different”.

Also keep in mind that this is a great way to exercise with a partner or group that will keep you motivated and accountable. So if you’re tired of the same old routine and want to kick up the tempo give interval training a try and you will be on your way to feeling and looking younger.
Jamie Swagler is a certified Personal Trainer at Fitness Together. Fitness Together, located at 9671 Gladiolus Dr., #108, is part of the world’s largest personal training organization. All programs are specifically tailored for every client and conducted in a private training studio. Their motto is “One Client - One Trainer – One Goal”, www.FTFortMyers.com.