275/365 On the Elliptical: HIIT and Burning Fat

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

So part of my month long challenge for April includes increasing my cardio. I decided to run at least 3 mi on MWF and get on the elliptical for at least 30 min on TR. Since the elliptical is somehow boring to me compared to running, I decided to alternate between HIIT and high resistance, slow paced cardio. So here's the physiology behind both of those strategies.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) - Choose 2 resistances, one that is intense and one for rest; I use Level 21 for my intense and 6 for my rest. You can choose to do 1:1 time ratios or 2:1 (you could do that intense:rest or rest:intense). The reason for HIIT's success is that according to ACSM you consume more oxygen (burn more calories) than slower, distance-training and therefore burn more calories throughout the day. This gets me sweating like mad. I have yet to wear my HR monitor when doing this but, when I figure out what my heart rate is at each intensity, I'll let you know.

High Resistance, Slow Paced Cardio - Though HIIT makes the 30 minutes go by quickly, I was getting bored with it and wanted to do something else. I decided to up my resistance level even if it meant me going slower; this isn't a bad thing, I just feel like people think I look silly because I'm going so slow (like other people's opinion matters to me, pshaw!). So, here I am on Level 8, trudging through what feels like mud and my heart rate is averaging at about 135BPM. Between 130-150BPM is about where 20-somethings like myself need to be for ideal fat burn. Fat is used as a fuel for lower intensity exercise because it takes longer for your cells to process. Since you don't need energy as quickly, your body says, "Okay fat, time to go...at your slow pace of course but we're going!"

So there you have it, the benefits of HIIT and high resistance, slow paced cardio. Hopefully these will find their way into your cardio routines.

In health,

Lauren