The clock’s ticking

From the minute my alarm goes off in the morning at 6:40 until I get to work at 9:30, I feel like I’m on non-stop go: Catch up with my Blackberry–>Get out of bed and do my thing in the bathroom–>Walk to the gym–>Workout–>Walk back home–>Shower & get ready–>Ensure my lunch is sorted–>Eat breakfast-->Do my rounds on Facebook–>Get to work! 

Now that I’ve written it down, my routine does sound manic but 2 weeks in, I’m used to it.  I love that smug feeling of walking into work having already had a full morning whereas a few weeks ago, I would still be asleep.  To fit it all in, efficiency (and sleeping at a reasonable hour) is key.  Other than the days I have a personal training session, I’m in the gym for 50 minutes tops, and still manage to get a great workout.  If time is an issue for you, don’t waste it by hanging around the changing room or deciding what machine to use…just GO! Time is money calories burned.  Here are some ways to get the most of your workout:

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT or miss? Definitely the former!  As it can be applied to any type of exercise and be varied according to individual fitness levels, HIIT can be completed by just about anyone.  The basic idea is to alternate short bursts of higher-intensity exercise with intervals of slower activity to allow the body to recover. 

By maximizing your heart-rate and effort, even 15-20 minutes of HIIT is effective.  If done correctly, the overall calorie burn of a 20-minute HIIT session would probably be the same as performing the same exercise for 40 minutes at moderate effort.  By boosting your metabolism, HIIT produces benefits which slow, steady exercises cannot replicate.  It releases hormones which create lean muscle, increase stamina, burn calories and fat as well as work neglected muscle fiber.

Ways to incorporate it:

• Running: vary distance or speed
• Walking: vary speed or incline
• Cycling/cross trainer: vary speed or level

Now that your cardio is out of the way, round up your workout with 1-2 sets of the following:

• Squats and/or lunges to work your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
• Push-ups to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and abs.
• Plank to work the abs, back, arms and legs.  The plank also targets internal abdominal muscles.

Your time starts…NOW!