This exercise is a HIT!

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All you need is 20 minutes a day to get the exercise you need to make a difference in your weight, your cognitive function, your heart, your blood sugar level, your bone density, your blood pressure…need more reasons?

The newest information in fitness is a HIT. And it is the easiest yet.  You can do it at home, you can do it travelling, you can do it at the gym, and it requires no gear other than running shoes. Now that all excuses are removed, here is what you need to know.

• High Intensity Interval Training is as easy as 1 minute walking followed by 1 minute running and repeated 10 times.
• The walking part is simply recovery, the running part has rules
• During the running minute, you must get your heart rate up to 85% or 90% of its maximum capacity. That is the pace at which you would run if you saw your child or your puppy in danger. Your legs should feel like rubber and your lungs like you can’t take another breath. You only have to do it 10 times.
• You can do the same thing on a bicycle
• This system has been shown to have benefits in as few sessions as 3 times per week. As reported by Nutrition Action Newsletter.
• When you acclimatize to the process, increase the incline on the treadmill or alter your route to include a hill

It is worth a try. What have you got to lose other than weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure numbers…

Theresa Albert

As a Toronto Nutritionist, I love food, try to watch my weight, know more than I want to about healthy living (sometimes I wish I knew less so I wouldn’t feel so guilty when I stumble), am a daughter, sister, friend, mom and wife who worries and scurries the meals onto the table. It is for all these reasons that I completed my nutrition, RNCP designation, wrote my book, hosted my Food Network show, consult with food companies to urge them to get it right (or at least better), constantly write about it, research it, all of this so I can cut through the nutrition and food “news” clutter. Happy to share with friends!