HIIT

I want to introduce, High Intensity Interval Training this is a cardiovascular activity, great for endurance.
You may want to give it a try, it has more health benefits, more weight loss benefits than working out steady for long periods of time. HIIT raises your metabolism to keep on burning fat, keep on working for hours, and hours, the whole day, while if you decide to run at a steady pace for long hours you will only burn a certain amount of calories. It is excellent for raising endurance performance, and obtaining healthy lungs and heart, more so than any other physical activity on the face of the earth.

HIIT only lasts from 2 - 20 minutes, and your body will have the benefits. It is unwise and not recommended to do HIIT for more than 20 minutes. You won't be able to anyway, if you perform hit correctly.
Reasons why: You are going to push yourself to extreme intensities, and raise endurance as hard as you can, in a short time period.
Cautions: Do not plan to do any other form of work out or physical activity on the day you plan to do HIIT. Why? Because that would be simply over doing it.
- Make sure to eat and fuel your body a few hours, or an hour before doing HIIT. Why? You may pass out. Make sure to drink water before hand. You won't have time to take sips of water during HIIT.

The time limit depends on your endurance. For most people 2 minutes will be enough to reap the rewards, even 10 minutes is pushing it. This is a great thing, if you don't have time to spare to work out.

The facts behind HIIT, is basically, by running or doing any other form of cardio activity, as fast, and as hard as you can, in a short time period, reaps much more benefits to your health, and fitness progress, than spending hours at the gym doing things at normal pace. To get even more benefits, INTERVALS are the key factor. Intervals, basically awaken the metabolism and fat burning process, and endurance levels, by switching the pace rapidly. Intervals are the most important thing here.
Do not get HIIT mistaken for interval training. HIIT is switching up HIGH INTENSITY intervals, in short, rapid, speedy paces.

High intensity means going as fast and hard as you go, until you feel lightheaded, like you are about to vomit, like you can't possible go anymore, like you are going to pass out. You push yourself to those extremes. Different intervals, means you can give yourself a tiny break, switch down the high intensity levels, from sprint, to fast, from as fast as you can go. For beginners, you can add in a walk, as long as you do mixed up intervals as fast and as hard as you can go. You won't be able to do HIIT for long, if you do it correctly. You will either get stitches and runners cramps, or the other things i mentioned if you do it properly.

You may think that high intensity is not possible or scary or you won't be able to do it, but everyone can do it, even if it lasts for 10 seconds, your body still benefits from it. That is the great thing about HIIT. You get more benefits from pushing yourself to extremes in a very short amount of time, than working out for endless hours.

caution: if you tend to pass out easily, make sure you do not attempt running on a treadmill at first, because you don't want to fall and hurt yourself, HIIT may make you pass out or almost pass out if you do it right, until you get used to it. First try HIIT while running on ground. Treadmills may be kind of dangerous when running as fast as a person can possibly run. Try at own risk. It personally took me quite awhile to move up to running as fast as i could on a treadmill safely. It's better to start out while running on ground.
You can use all forms of cardio activity for hit, like jumping jacks, fast moving aerobics, dancing, swimming (if you can swim really fast, then also take the precaution that swimming is in itself a highly intense activity that can easily make someone pass out when pushing it to extremes, so have a lifeguard near and do at own risk) Also if swimming, highly advise NOT to get into hot tub or sauna after completing HIIT, it will make one pass out. Refuel on fluids.

An example of hit running or using a treadmill:

- Stretch before hand. Important, because you are NOT going to start out at a walking pace, you won't have time to get your limbs limber, stretching is significant, you will start out at a high intensity fast pace. This is key, it will really get the body, and fat burning process, moving and working right away.

- Do not stay on one interval for more than one minute, keep switching up your paces, the faster you switch up paces, the better. Run as fast as your heartbeat, then even faster.
- Start out at a regular run.
- Quickly move to a fast sprint
- Move up the scale to as fast as you can go.
Keep switching between intervals of pace. Be honest, push yourself to extremes. You shouldn't last more than 20 minutes, better yet, you shouldn't last for even one minute if you do it right. You will know, as soon as you push yourself, you will eventually either collapse, feel dizzy, feel like your lungs and heart is going to burst. These are good things, this develops the heart muscles, raises your endurance, and raises the fat burning process. HIIT also raises your recovery time. Every time you do it, you will be able to recover and start breathing faster.

This is why, HIIT should only be performed no more than twice a week. It is high intensity, and is intense. And nothing else should be done in the day you decide to perform HIIT. That means, no strength training, nothing else in the day you decide to do HIIT, you should just relax after that, and get on normally with your day. Make sure to drink lots of water afterwards.

I like to use a skipping rope for HIIT. Sometimes I go to the gym, and switch intervals between the treadmill, and skip rope.
Jump rope, is also one of the most intense, and high intensity forms of cardio activity, which has even more benefits than running. Basically with jump rope, if you jump rope for two minutes, it is the same as running for 10 minutes.

By the way, even if you don't push yourself to extremes, still using somewhat of high intensities in a short time period, still works and gives you lots of benefits.
You can even switch up intervals between strength training (weights), if you do not take breaks in-between and keep the intensity going.

Note: when performing high intensity activities, remember that when the body loses water from sweating and activities, you can drink water, but that does not replace the salts. It is best to buy some electrolyte vitamins to swallow with your water, or have a drink that has electrolytes and salts in it, it will help against water intoxication, help to repair the muscles and body a lot better, therefore you won't be sore the next day, dehydration and low blood pressure, related to fast moving activities.

It's one of my favourite physical activities to do, so thought i would share!

[Spiritlite]

Okay I get this for running I'm not a runner I have a very weak ankle and my body type and doesn't allow it. I'm a swimmer, so how in the heck do I do this in swimming?
Obviously I can only swim so fast............and I can push myself really hard but will it have the same benefits as running and how can you do this with swimming.
Spiritlite.

Yes you can gain more benefits from swimming than running! Because swimming is overall an intense activity, even if you don't feel it. Swimming is one of the best physical activities in the world.

Yeah, all you would do is swim and push yourself hard, and as fast, until you feel like you can't possibly anymore, switch up the pace every lap for an interval.

You can actually swim very fast if you put your strength and arms and legs into it, especially your core abdominals (this is why swimming is so great, it uses endurance but also strength!). Instead of taking long strides, try switching up to taking short rapid strides, or try long, strong strides rapidly. May look like your flailing at times, but it works! Don't care about splashes, more splashes, means the faster your going.

You can even stop laps in the pool quickly, and do a marathon runner exercise in the pool, which is running as fast as you can (feet not hitting the ground) in the deep end of water without using your arms to keep you floating, only using the fastness, speed, of your feet and legs kicking, to keep you up - this is a very intense activity, even if it doesn't feel like it at first. It may look weird, but this is what marathon runners do in pools to train for big runs. To make it more intense, keep your arms lifted over your head. Keep your core strong, and fly at her.

To swim with high intensity, (i'm not sure how big the pool is) if it's not too long, you can just use intervals of every lap, you have to up your usual pace, push yourself harder than ever, and switch between paces, every lap you do. You don't actually have to follow exact high intensity as with running, because swimming in itself is high intensity, and will have more effects.
You may not feel yourself tiring out as fast with swimming, because it doesn't feel like much effort compared to running, but it is in actuality way more effort.

I remember you wrote something about being able to swim lots of laps, but if you push yourself over your limit, you should only have to swim a few laps, before the dizziness sets in. It can be dangerous if your body decides to pass out after doing HIIT in a pool, so just judge after every fast lap, stand up slightly, to make sure you can keep going and are not too dizzy.

I've done this in pools before, and i can usually burst up my speed as fast as those crazy fast professional swimmers in a short amount of time, but man, do you feel it. The dizziness sets in fast. Way more than running or skipping! :)

Because of your ankle, have you ever thought of using an exercise bike, or just a high speed bike out on the road? You can even do HIIT on an exercise bike, or road bike.