Harnessing health with HIIT

Life is so much busier today than it used to be. Time literally seems to have speeded up, yet we’re expected to fit so much into a day. With the advent of smartphones and the Internet, there’s no getting away. We’re ‘on’ 24/7. It’s no wonder that so many feel too time-challenged to exercise. Yet did you know that there’s close correlation between lack of exercise and feeling tired all the time (TATT) – the number one reason why people visit their GP? Let alone lack of exercise and ill health.

Never has the phrase ‘use it before you lose it’ been more apt than when talking about our mitochondria, the energy organelles in our cells. Our bodies are so concerned with energy conservation at a deep survival level, that we stop making new mitochondria if they’re not needed. So the more sedentary you are, the more mitochondria you lose and the more tired you will get as a result because you can’t make as much energy. With less energy, your body starts to prioritise processes starting the slide down the slippery slope to disease.

High Intensity Interval training (HIIT) not only increases mitochondrial capacity, it also improves heart rate variability (an important emerging assessment marker for cardiovascular disease risk) and enhances brain functions such as memory and learning. Plus, you only need 2 sessions a week of 15-20 mins of HIIT to reap these and many other rewards. How do you feel now about freeing up 40 mins a week to engage in some free health insurance?

For these and many other health benefits from less than 40 mins of exercise a week, watch our newest release in our Health Hacks video series.

Additional Resources:

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