Burn Fat Faster

From Parents Magazine, March 2010 Edition

The best exercise is High Intensity Interval Training - alternating short feel the burn bursts with periods of lower intensity.  The proof is in the International Journal of Obesity which reports that women who did three 20 min interval sessions a week lost three times more weight than those who worked out at an even rate for twice as long.  The study was taken over a four month period of time.

To try intervals, use this 20 min routine from Tracey Mallett, creator of the Get Your Body Back exercise video.  Use it three times weekly.

1. Whether jogging, biking, or skipping rope, begin your workout with with a three to five min warm up.
2. Start your first high intensity interval: Increase your effort to 70 to 80 percent of your max ability for one min. You should be able to talk but breathe heavily.
3. Recover at a moderate pace for four min.  Go at a slightly lighter clip than you would for a longer workout, keeping your heart rate elevated.
4. Repeat the process three to four times for a 20 to 25 min workout.
5. Over time, decrease your recovery periods to three min.  When that gets easier, slowly increase your high intensity intervals to two min.

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