Do you ever wish you could burn more fat while exercising? A research team in Melbourne, Australia, has a solution. They’re telling us about High-Intensity-Interval-Training, or HIIT.
This type of workout is a little different. You go really hard and fast for a short time, then rest, then go hard again. It’s like running as fast as you can, then walking, then running again.
Body: What’s the Big Idea?
Professor Zeljko Pedisic from Victoria University in Melbourne led a team that looked at different exercises. They wanted to see which ones were best at burning fat. And the winner was HIIT.
They found out that this fast-paced workout burns more fat than the usual aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises are things like jogging, where your heart rate is steady, but you don’t go all out.
The Study in a Nutshell
How did they find out? They looked at 18 different studies. These studies had people doing HIIT, doing aerobic exercise, or doing no exercise.
In total, they looked at what happened to 511 adults. In most cases, people did HIIT three times a week. The length of these studies varied from 2 to 14 weeks.
What Did They Find?
The findings were pretty amazing. They saw that HIIT can make your body a “fat-burning machine”. This doesn’t mean you only burn fat while doing HIIT.
You’ll also burn more fat doing everyday things like walking and playing sports. This fat burning effect starts after only four weeks of doing HIIT. And the more you do it, the better it gets.
After 12 weeks of doing HIIT, each minute of physical activity can burn an extra 0.13 grams of fat. It doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up.
For someone who is active for 150 minutes a week, they could burn an extra 10 kg of fat over ten years. That’s like losing the weight of a big bag of potatoes.
What about people who are overweight? They may burn even more fat. This is great news, considering that there are over two billion people in the world who are overweight.
But What About Aerobic Exercise?
Sure, aerobic exercise is good too. It can also help burn fat. But there’s a catch. You have to spend more time doing it. And even then, the fat burning effect is not as big as with HIIT.
Wrapping Up: HIIT is Worth a Try
So, if you’re looking for a new way to burn fat, why not try HIIT? It’s fast, effective, and could be just what you need.
“HIIT is among the most popular types of workouts. If you are not already doing it, maybe you should give it a go,” suggests Professor Pedisic.
Of course, always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. You want to make sure it’s safe for you.
But once you get the go-ahead, why not give HIIT a shot? Your body may thank you with some extra fat-burning power.
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The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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