Last post I talked about Headspace, a meditation app I use as part of my morning routine in “Taking 10 Minutes a Day“. This week I thought I would share another quick morning routine I find beneficial. When it comes to exercise we’ve all heard the excuses but near the top of everyone’s list is, I don’t have time. I’ve never been much of a runner or into any other form of long slow cardio but have instead always gravitated towards interval or high intensity training (H.I.T.). In future posts I’ll share some workouts from my favourite exercise coaches but I thought I’d start simple, with no equipment and a picture of my new gym (above).
In White Rock we’re fortunate enough to have a lot of hills to work with and a little incline goes a long way. Using a hill can deliver a quick workout in a small space. I aim for 2 to 3 days a week. I start slow with some stair sets and jogging up portions of the hill and then I get set for a quick workout. I’ve got about 30 seconds running to cover both sets of the hill near our house and it takes about 90 seconds to walk back down. This has me roughly following a protocol I learned about from Dr. Mercola called Peak 8. Simply put, Peak 8 is 30 seconds on high intensity and 90 seconds on low intensity repeated 8 times.
The experience looks a little like this:
Warm -up
Peak 1 – 30 seconds, ok I’m getting fired up.
Peak 2 – 30 seconds, alright, feeling good, feeling strong.
Peak 3 – 30 seconds, how many is that? ok, one more for half-way
Peak 4 – 30 seconds, hear we go, halfway there!
Peak 5 – 30 seconds, on my, I’m living on a prayer!
Peak 6 – 30 seconds, I’d stop here but I’ve only got two to go.
Peak 7 – 30 seconds, this is challenging everything I’ve got.
Peak 8 – 30 seconds, last one, leave it all on the hill! and…done.
BAM! 20 mins later and I’m exhausted, gasping, fired up and feeling accomplished.
If you read some of the research on H.I.T. training and specifically Peak 8, this is where the real magic begins with your metabolism fired up. Read about some of the benefits as well as more detail on the protocol and how you can adapt it for your bike, treadmill or other exercise equipment
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/Peak-8-fitness-interval-training-chart.aspx
So What’s Next? The perfect compliment to a hard Peak 8 is a cold shower! Stay tuned for my next post on that brrrrr!
Disclaimer: Know your body’s limits and workout within them. Please consult with your doctor or a qualified trainer before beginning any new exercise routine.
Fonseca Holistic Health 