Hi guys,

I'm really into sports and fitness, so I thought I should share some tips with you all here on getting fit and keeping trim.

I'm sure many of you have heard of HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. It's a great way to burn calories and keep your metabolism on high gear even AFTER the workout!

Also, the great thing about HIIT is that you don't have to spend hours slaving away at the treadmill or running at the same pace. It only takes 20-30mins and trust me, you'd be so fatigued after it if you do it correctly.

So what is HIIT?

It's when your workout has a mixture of low intensity and high intensity at regular intervals. This can be applied to cardio such as running or skipping, and even to strength workouts like squatting!

Okay, so how do I start?

Have you ever heard of Insanity? I'd have to say it's one of the most tiring exercise programs I've ever done. Most HIIT training involves longer bouts of low intensity, then short bursts of high intensity exercise. However, with Insanity, it's the OPPOSITE. In Insanity, you're doing high intensity and high heart rate exercises for most of the time, and having only short intervals of low intensity as your 'break'. If you haven't tried Insanity, I suggest you should check it out! It's absolutely amazing and you'll feel fantastic afterwards.

Besides insanity, HIIT is very easy to incorporate into your workout. For example with running:

  • 5 minutes warm up (jogging or brisk walking)
  • 40 second sprint
  • 20 second brisk walk (or jog)
  • 40 second sprint
  • 20 second brisk walk (or jog)


^Repeat those intervals until you reach 15 or 20 minutes on your stopwatch.

Example of a strength HIIT:

  • 30 second squat jumps
  • 30 second jumping jacks
  • Repeat 5 times
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Repeat until fatigued


Other tips

Obviously this type of workout isn't going to make you Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is more suitable for those looking to burn fat or calories, and increase your fitness level. If you want to look like Arnie, then you would be doing full body strength workouts and minimizing the cardio to bulk up. But I'm not expert in that area since I'm a girl and I do not want to look like Arnie.

Also, don't expect yourself to lose weight and have washboard abs if you do HIIT but then eat chocolate cake and fried food for breakfast/lunch/dinner. You have to accompany a sustainable and healthy diet with exercise. There is no magic food or diet that you can take to suddenly make you drop 20 pounds in a short time. Eat healthily (you can still treat yourself once in a while, but don't go overboard ) and exercise regularly and you will find that your body and mindset about health and your lifestyle will change tremendously!