Tip of the Day--INTERVALS

Out with the old, in with the new. It used to be that steady state cardio (any cardio activity done at a steady pace) done for 30-60 minutes was the ideal way to do your aerobic workout. Not anymore. Now intervals are all the rage. Try this workout: on any cardio machine or outside do a moderate pace for 2 minutes, take it up to a fast or hard pace for 1 minute, go back to the moderate pace for 2 minutes, then to a moderate fast pace for 2 minutes, repeat for 30-45 minutes. For example:

Start with a 3 minute warm-up

Walk at 4.0 mph 2 min.

Run at 7.0 mph 1 min.

Walk at 4.0 mph 2 min.

Run at 6.0 mph 2 min.

Repeat this 30-45 minutes then take a 3-5 minute cool-down

Don't get me wrong, steady state cardio is still important. Going slower but longer burns calories. But if you want to blast even more calories in less time then try intervals. Make sure to keep one steady state workout per week and do no more than 2 interval sessions in a week. For the other days of cardio try a new class, video, or cardio machine to switch things up.