High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training

Short on time, not getting your desired results or just need a change of pace? Interval Training, specifically High Intensity Interval Training

(H.I.I.T.) may be just the answer.

What is H.I.I.T.?

H.I.I.T. involves short bursts of high intensity activity followed by a less intense version of the activity. For instance, if you are running on a treadmill or an elliptical trainer, you would increase the speed or incline for a short period of time followed by a period of active recovery where you slow down or reduce the incline for a short period of time. Repeating this cycle for a specified amount of repetitions or time.

What are the benefits of H.I.I.T.?

There are several benefits to H.I.I.T. over long slow distance cardio (steady state cardio) workouts. Research shows that your body burns fat at a much higher rate than steady state cardio workouts. Because you are working so hard during the intervals, your body reaps the benefits of the workout for several hours after you finish. When you finish your H.I.I.T. workout, your body still requires increased calories and oxygen to return your body back to it's resting levels, thus increasing your ability to burn body fat for a longer period of time than steady state cardio.

Due to the high speed movements, and power output, your body builds muscle during H.I.I.T. whereas during steady state cardio you can actually lose muscle.

Finally, you can use H.I.I.T. to save time. H.I.I.T. can be and should be done in a short amount of time. If you can keep up the high intensity level during your intervals for more than 20 minutes, you need to increase the intensity.

How do I do H.I.I.T.?

There are several different methods you can try, but I?ll start with the basics. First, you need to decide the variable you want to manipulate whether it is speed, incline, or resistance. Then you need to decide your work to rest ratio of the intervals.

For a beginner, on a treadmill or an elliptical I would recommend jog/walk intervals. After a 3-5 minute warmup, the goal would be to jog as long as you can. When you notice your speed reducing or form compromising, slow down to a walk. When you feel like you can jog again do it until you need to walk. Repeat for 20 minutes or so.

For more advanced trainees, after your 3-5 minute warm up you can do sprints, hills or hill sprints. Go as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slow down to a moderate pace for 60-90 seconds. Repeat for 20 minutes or so.

As the workouts get easier you can progress them by increasing the speed, incline or interval duration, number of intervals or by reducing the rest interval duration.

H.I.I.T. is an incredible method for improving fitness in a short amount of time, however, it also can be quite taxing on the body. Make sure to ease into a new program and gradually increase the workload over time.

Dan Lawson

NASM CPT, CES

www.javelinfitness.net

www.facebook.com/JavelinFitness

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Go Exercise!

GO Exercise!

If you’re reading this blog, it most likely means you are most likely ready to make personal changes which include exercise. We’ve all heard, read, and seen the benefits of exercise. It’s a proven scientific fact endorphins are released during exercise which generate strong feelings of happiness. Exercise is also wonderful for preventative health. It releases toxins which build up in our bodies from chemicals in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. And in my workshops, I take these facts further by offering simple affirmations and mental exercises people can do to augment their physical exercise and feel even more joyful.

I have found a new love

Those who follow my blogs know I’ve been exercising for YEARS and highly encourage all of you get moving in some capacity. Exercise is MY ZEN! When I’m exercising, I feel free and my endorphins ARE flowing. It feels wonderful! Plus I’ve actually received some of my greatest insights while exercising. My brain is just more active! I also love to read and delve into all my books while I’m exercising.  So you can imagine my excitement a few years ago when on the search for a low-impact, high-result exercise machine I found the ElliptiGO! I truly cannot say enough about how WONDERFUL this machine is and how much I love this invention.

Let’s get real here

Aside from the mental benefits of exercise I also have jiggly parts and the ElliptiGO targets MY jiggly parts! For example, my rear end, core, shoulders and arms. And it’s great for toning legs! You stand up the entire time as if standing on bike peddles. However on a bike your legs move in circles. But on the ElliptiGO your legs slide up and down just like they do on an indoor Elliptical machine.
Get going and have fun!

So for those of you who want to get outside and can’t ride a bike but still want to ride with children and

friends THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!  It’s low impact, great fun and gives you big results! And for folks who are challenged with body aches and pains, I can honestly say I’ve been riding on the ElliptiGO for two hours today and have had NO body aches, NO sore muscles from over excursion, and NO back or joint damage or the pain some hard-impact activities can give you!

Being active in the out-of-doors is a spectacular way to get exercise in the Pacific Northwest. And with summer in full swing, it’s a perfect time to go out in nature and get some fresh air and exercise. For those of us with busy lives who don’t have set schedules when we can go to a gym, owning home exercise equipment is also an excellent, easily accessible way to maintain an exercise program - and the best part?  We can do it without having to drive anywhere – just grab an ElliptiGO and slide down the street!

Plus come join the fun, interactive picture postings of ElliptiGO owners! Try to guess where I and other riders might be riding in the posted pictures. In the meanwhile…Heigh ho, Heigh ho, it’s off to ElliptiGO I go!!!

Sue Lundquist, President and Founder of I’m Thankful, LLC, Healing Practitioner, and Founder of the award-winning radio network I’m Thankful has spent over 20 years focusing on the benefits of Exercise, Nutrition, and Health. For further information regarding Sue Lundquist and her 1:1 Coaching, Books, Radio and A.C.T. NOW Workshops please visit her website at  www.ImThankful.com or www.SueLundquist.com

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Sore Muscles

Usually occurring 24-48 hours after exercise, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is the inflammation in your muscles caused by the stresses of exercise. To some, DOMS can be worn as a badge of honor, to others it is a painful nuisance. I think we can all agree that we want it gone as quickly as we can.

There are several things you can try to reduce the soreness, such as eating a high protein diet, hot baths, or even massage, however, exercise is going to give you the best results.

According to David Docherty, Ph.D., light activity stimulates bloodflow through the muscles, which removes  waste products to help in the repair process.  Try a light workout where you move your muscles through a full range of motion at a moderate tempo and moderate to high repetition.

A few movements I recommend to get your full body moving are Turkish Get Up, Windmills, Hindu Pushups and Lunges.

I know that moving a sore muscle can be an unpleasant process at first, but once you get going, you?ll feel better for it!

Check out these resources for more information on relieving muscle
soreness.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/11/us-exercise-massage-for-muscles-


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-greenfield/exercise-sore_b_1183747.html

Dan Lawson
NASM CPT, CES

206.818.2362
www.javelinfitness.net

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Exercising Mind and Body for Happiness

Everyone knows exercising is good for the body! But did you know exercising and making healthy food choices actually boosts your mind and spirit too? As a personal healer, I fully understand the connection between staying active physically, making healthy food choices, and personal well-being.  I also counsel others in the importance of maintaining an active workout program to support mind-body awareness and personal growth.

It’s a proven scientific fact endorphins are released during exercise which generate strong feelings of happiness. In my workshops, I take this fact further into offering simple affirmations and mental exercises people can do to augment their physical exercise and feel even more joyful.  

Make the time

Okay, you say, (deep sigh here), “I don’t have time to exercise! I’m a busy mom with kids in school and a business to run! There’s just no more time left in the day to exercise!” As a wife and mom of three who is self-employed and very busy, I hear you! However, taking the time to exercise will actually give you MORE energy to manage everything you have to do in your life. Trust me, it has in my life!

Prevent illness

Exercise is also wonderful for preventative health. It releases toxins which build up in our bodies from chemicals in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. Plus making healthy food choices lessens the amount of toxins which enter our bodies in the first place.

In my book, Inner Critic Got your Tongue? Proven & Sustainable Tools for Get’n Back to THANKFUL, I show how making healthy food choices, being aware of your body, and exercising can assist in preventing headaches, backaches, stomach ailments, and a host of other physical problems. When you make the right food choices and regularly exercise, you’re more energetic, less stressed, and more able to face life’s challenges.  

Choose to stay healthy

Being active in the out-of-doors is a spectacular way to get exercise in the Pacific Northwest. We live in a wonderland of opportunities to get out in nature. Unfortunately, as many of us know, the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our best laid plans to exercise outside! Since it rains nearly half the year, finding a way to exercise indoors is a necessity.

For those of us with busy lives who don’t have set schedules when we can go to a gym, owning home exercise equipment is an excellent, easily accessible way to maintain an exercise program during those rainy months - and the best part?  We can do it in the comfort of our own homes.

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Sue Lundquist, President and Founder of I’m Thankful, LLC, Healing Practitioner, and Founder of the award-winning radio network I’m Thankful has spent over 20 years focusing on the benefits of Exercise, Nutrition, and Health.

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ElliptiGO – In the News

ElliptiGO – In the News

Fitness enthusiasts, runners and cyclists have a new tool at their disposal – ElliptiGO, a cross between a bicycle and elliptical that allows you to take your training outside.

This outdoor elliptical bicycle has been getting a ton of press lately, and rightly so.

The ElliptiGO is easy to ride with a quick learning curve. It’s a great workout and most importantly, a ton of fun.

Follow the link to some great press on all things ElliptiGO.

http://www.elliptigo.com/In-The-News

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Weight Training is a Must for Runners

As we grow into our blog, we look to bring you content from our employees and friends.

The first piece in our training series comes to us from Dan Lawson of Javelin Fitness. Dan is a great trainer and good partner of ours in the greater Seattle/Bellevue area. Look for regular contributions from Dan as we continue to develop a community of content.

Weight Training is a Must for Runners.

If you think running alone is enough to get you in shape or keep you inshape, it’s time to think again. Adding a strength training routine can improve your body composition, reduce the risk of injury, increase your running speed, improve your kick, increase fat loss and even improve your reproductive health.

When incorporating strength training into your routine, I recommend variations of traditional lifts such as deadlifts, squats, lunges, pull-ups/chin-ups and pushups. Each of these are multi-joint exercises that recruit large muscle groups giving you the most bang for your buck.  Plus, they can be done with bodyweight, dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, a toddler or nearly any other kind of resistance you can think of.

For a quick workout you can do anywhere, choose 3 of the above exercises, do 10 reps of each exercise in a continuous circuit for 20 minutes.

For example, do 10 squats, 10 pushups and 10 lunges. Rest when you need to and finish as many rounds as you can in the allotted time.

Do this workout up to 3 times a week with at least one day of rest in between and you will be running and feeling stronger in no time!

For more information please check out the following link
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/806/Ten

Dan Lawson
NASM CPT, CES

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EMotion Electric Bikes by BH

Electric Bikes – a way to find your inner kid.

The value of an electric bike can come in many forms from simple transportation, a green solution for commuting or a way to get back outside and connect with the world around you. As important in our book, an electric bike is a ton of fun.

The joy of riding a bike is often lost on us as we grow up. An electric bike is a fabulous tool to find your inner kid, it helps take away some of the things we hold on to as an excuse to forgo a ride. The excuses are many, too many hills and I can’t keep up. These are put to rest with a pedal electric bike.

Having the opportunity to be a dealer for the EMotion Electric Bikes by BH is a privilege that we hold dearly. As a retailer of fitness equipment we see the e-bike as a tool to reintroduce the joy of riding a bike to all of those who have given up the sport and a new and exciting way to give avid and recreational cyclists alike a new way to experience the sport. An active, wellness oriented, lifestyle is available to us in many ways. An e-bike is a great way to go out and play.

Over the next few weeks we will bring you some great materials from some of the leaders in the electric bike arena. Their insight and passion is remarkable.

The first article that we will share comes from Electric Bike Report, Pete Prebus put together a great introduction to electric bicycles.

http://electricbikereport.com/the-electric-bike-conveniences-of-a-car-with-the-advantages-of-a-bicycle/

We hope you enjoy the linked article –please feel free to share your insight or experience with electric bikes.

Best

Precor Home Fitness

This wellness article brought to you by Precor Home Fitness, a leading retailer of specialty fitness and active outdoor equipment. For more information please visit our website and like us on Facebook.

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