MO - December 2008 - (Page 14) your health matters PHOTO BY GABI MOISA FORM & FUNCTION Interval Training Packs More Punch We’re all busy during the holiday season, but the first winter months are the most important to keep your workout schedule on track. Find yourself short on time but want to make up for the eggnog and cheesecake you ate last night? Try sneaking two intense cardio interval trainings into your week to keep your metabolism from fading away into your hectic holiday schedule. Intervals get more done in less time, and the change may actually motivate you to sneak away from your holiday obligations. Intervals have been widely used by athletes to get into fighting shape by performing repetitions of high-intensity bursts followed by low-intensity bursts of cardio. Don’t get too excited—these are hard, but if you’re short on time and you‘ve got some excess fat to burn, intervals are the way to go. TIP #1 Try a spin class at your gym. This is the quintessential interval training as they are usually organized around 10–30-second bursts of sprints and 3–10-minute heavy “climbs,” with short rest periods in between. TIP #2 If you’re not quite ready for a spin class, do your own intervals on the treadmill. Start out by running 30-second sprints followed by one-minute runs, then increase your sprinting time to a full minute followed by two-minute runs. Start at eight mph for your sprint and five mph for your jog. Adjust your speed as you increase your fitness. TIP #3 If you live on Capitol Hill, you’ve got an interval playground in your backyard. Roll out of bed 20 minutes early and briskly walk—or run if you’re extra fit—up one block between Broadway and 15th, then walk or run over and down one. On the next block, briskly walk or run up a block, over and down. (This can also be done on the other side of the hill, going from 19th St. up to 15th St.). Zigzag like this for just 20 minutes before work and you’ve done your body wonders. Madelyn trains and teaches group exercise in Seattle, and owns Mad Abs Fitness, www.MadAbsFitness.com. capitol hill medical Seattle’s GLBT-focused medical clinic Take Pride in your health! 206.568.6320 now accepting patients! www.capitolhillmedical.com Vy Chu, MD Internal Medicine Primary Care, HIV Medicine 1 celebrating seattle’s gay community http://www.MadAbsFitness.com http://www.MadAbsFitness.com http://www.capitolhillmedical.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.