March 19, 2021

In our previous entry, we talked about the importance of cardio and why raising your heart rate on a consistent basis can trim down your waistline and improve your heart health and overall well-being. 

In other words, it’s the real deal!

Today we’ll talk about HOW to do this. First of all, HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, and one of the best things about it is you can do it anywhere.

For this HIIT workout all you need is 15 minutes and NO equipment. No excuses.

How it Works

HIIT is a workout that alternates between hard exercise followed by rest for a set period of time and repeated as many times as you want. So, what the name implies – intervals of high intensity training and rest.

HIIT will improve your cardiovascular fitness while blasting some of that stubborn body fat. But make no mistake, you MUST push yourself!

Only Two or Three Times a Week

If you’re just starting out, try HIIT for 2-3 times a week to avoid injury or overtraining. If you’re experienced, then 4-5 times a week is recommended. It really depends on what other forms of exercise you’re practicing.

As a beginner, 15 minutes is the ideal length to get enough intervals to start seeing real change – paired with the right diet of course, preferably one that includes VIIVA’s healthy, nutritious, plant-based protein shake.

The Workout

Choose your exercise(s). Since this is a beginner and equipment-free routine, we will start with air squats, jumping jacks, and/or burpees.

• Set timer for 15 minutes.
• Perform your chosen exercise for 30 seconds at your maximum effort – THIS IS CRUCIAL
• Rest for 30 seconds. 
• Repeat until your 15-minute timer goes off.

That’s it. 

You can alternate exercises to keep it interesting. If you own a stationary bike, you can do this on the bike as well. If you’re a runner, you can sprint for 30 seconds and do a slow jog for 30 to achieve similar benefits.

Here is another popular variation:

• Set timer
• Perform your chosen exercise for 20 seconds (at maximum effort, of course)
• Rest for 10 seconds
• Repeat

You are now ready to do your first HIIT workout! Let’s get started.

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