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"Intervals
for Weight Loss"
copyright 2003 by Greg Landry, M.S.
If you're like most people, finding time
to exercise can be a challenge, so you want
to get the most out of the time you do have.
Including "intervals" in your
exercise routine can help you maximize your
weight loss and fitness results.
Intervals are brief periods (about one
minute) of more intense exercise mixed into
your regular aerobic exercise sessions.
For example, if you're walking, you would
do a one minute interval of faster walking
about every five minutes throughout your
exercise session.
Here's how it will look.. you'll start
with your normal three to five minute warm-up
and then five minutes into your workout
you do your first interval, one minute of
faster walking (or perhaps jogging). At
the end of that minute you should be "winded"
and ready to slow down. You'll slow down
to your normal exercising speed for the
next four minutes and then your fifth minute
is another one minute interval. This pattern
continues throughout your exercise session.
You'll derive several benefits from intervals..
1. Intervals can help you to get past a
weight loss plateau.
2. Intervals increase your aerobic fitness
level by "pushing the envelope".
While doing your interval you cross the
anaerobic threshold into anaerobic metabolism,
forcing your body to become conditioned
to more intense exercise.
3. Your increased level of fitness means
that a given level of exercise will feel
easier and that you will be able to exercise
at a higher intensity which "burns"
more calories.
4. Your increased level of fitness also
means that you will be less fatigued from
daily activities and you'll have more "energy"
throughout the day.
5. Intervals increase your basal metabolic
rate (BMR), causing you to burn more calories
24 hours-a-day.
6. Intervals cause you to "burn"
more calories during your exercise session
and for several hours afterwards.
7. Intervals will tone the involved muscles
to a greater degree than your regular aerobic
exercise would.
8. Intervals can make your exercise less
monotonous and help the time pass more quickly.
9. Intervals will energize you!
If you'd like to put a little excitement
into your exercise, and you're looking for
better results, give intervals a try!
Author and exercise physiologist, Greg
Landry, offers FREE weight loss success
stories and his "Fast, Healthy Weight
Loss" newsletter at his site: http://www.Landry.com/w.htm
copyright 2003 by Greg Landry, M.S.
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