I don't know much about architecture.  I don't know the difference between Gothic and Revival (are those even real terms, I can't be sure). I don't know about columns and arches or even green spaces.  But I am familiar with one architectural concept: form follows function.  According to my limited knowledge, this principle basically means that a structure should be built according to its function or use.  Apparently there's a reason why homes look like houses and not office buildings.

The principle of form follows function also applies to human bodies.  If you want a hard body, you have to work hard.  There is an epic quote by strength and conditioning coach Mark Rippetoe that says (in part), "The two things that most influence our physical appearance, exercise and diet, have in common the fact that doing them correctly means choosing to do things that involve discomfort."  In summary: get comfortable with uncomfortable. 

I am not saying that everyone wants the physique of actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) or trainer to the stars Jillian Michaels.  Wait, who am I kidding, yes we do.

As mentioned in my last post, HIIT can deliver results in the form of increased fat burning and improved endurance.  It can also build muscle when you incorporate strength training aspects (I'll get there in a minute).  Form follows function.  An important study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2005 was the first that found that high intensity interval training (in this case cycling sprints) could dramatically increase aerobic endurance.  In how long you might ask?  In bouts of exercise lasting 2-4 minutes over two weeks for a total of six sessions.  Let's do the math: that's 12-15 minutes.  Impressive, no?  Perhaps you don't care about endurance.  Perhaps you care about weight loss.  But who wants to just lose weight?  We want to lose fat.  A similar study also published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that subjects who underwent a HITT program (7 sessions, 2 weeks) increased their fat oxidation by 36% in their post-test.  I don't know about you, but I am in favor of burning fat.

So how should you incorporate HIIT into your current program?  Start small, this is tough stuff (or should be if you're doing it correctly).  Incorporate one day of HIIT training into your exercise routine.  Remember, it should be short duration (9-20 minutes) and be close to max effort.  As you progress, add 2-3 days per week.  You should see results fairly quickly -- remember the subjects in the aforementioned studies saw results in just a couple weeks.  Get comfortable with uncomfortable.

Once you are familiar with the HIIT concepts, incorporate other exercises that focus on strength rather than exclusively cardio.  The fundamental exercises:  squats, pushups, sit ups and pull-ups are an excellent place to start.  Apply HIIT principles to these exercises:  short bursts of max effort followed by recovery.  Add in more variety: jump rope, barbells, box jumps, lunges... the more variety of exercises you perform, the better your fitness will be.  Form follows function.

If you are someone who has grown bored and weary of the endless hours of cardio, I encourage you to step out of the box (or off the treadmill), challenge yourself physically and see the results you've been searching for.  What do you have to lose except wasted hours in the gym?

Posted by Rachel L. May, M.S.
Adjunct Faculty, School of Health Sciences

Every day I meet people who are at wits' end with their exercise program.  Many of these people complain that they carve out 90 minutes - 2 hours per day for exercise, perhaps exercising two or more times per day just to fit it all in.  These frustrated individuals come to me and say, "Why aren't I losing weight/getting fitter/seeing results?  I simply don't have any more time to dedicate to exercise!"  And who can blame them?  Not many of us have the time (nor inclination) to spend 60+ minutes every day working out. 

Somehow the majority of exercising Americans have come to believe that in order to get more results, you have to do more exercise.  Now if you're someone who is sedentary or exercises very little, this is true.  But if you are someone who exceeds the ACSM Guidelines for physical activity (30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days of the week) you may be stuck on what I like to call "the cardio hamster wheel."

As mentioned in my previous post, I was someone who was once stuck on that wheel.  I thought that if I wanted to be in better shape I just needed to run more.  But no matter how much I ran, I never saw the results I wanted.  Even though I was at my lowest weight (113 lb at 5'7"), I still had a fluffy midsection (ahhh the dreaded "skinny fat").  And even though I exercised for 2 hours per day, I couldn't even move a couch without some assistance, let alone do pushups. 

Frustrated, I went (skeptically) looking for something else, something to do in conjunction with my running, not in place of running because again, I knew that fitness = running. 

And I found myself at a local Crossfit affiliate.  Perhaps you've heard of Crossfit.  It is beginning to come out of garages and small gyms and into the national spotlight (ESPN2 is now covering the National Games).  The fundamentals of Crossfit are its high intensity, highly varied workouts that combine aspects of many sports (power and Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and sprinting) to create workouts that are designed to keep your body guessing.  As I tell people, I thought I was in shape until I went to Crossfit.

But this isn't a post about Crossfit, it's a blog about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and how you should be incorporating these principles into your workouts.

Elite athletes have been using interval training for more than 70 years to improve performance.  Yet the general public has largely been left-out.  HIIT is defined as cardiovascular training designed to improve fitness and reduce fat while increasing muscle in short (9-20 min) and intense workouts.  Raise your virtual hand if you'd like to improve fitness, reduce fat and best of all, do it in less than 20 minutes.

Below is an example of what a simple HIIT workout might look like: 

Warm-Up: ~ 5 minutes (Ex: Walk/jog)
Intervals: Near maximal effort of short duration (Ex: Sprinting)
Recovery: About 50% of max effort (Ex: Walk/jog)
Ratio: 2:1, Recovery: Interval
Cool-Down: ~5 minutes (Ex: Walk)
 
The example provided above is based on running, but you can do HIIT with any mode of exercise: walking, swimming, biking... the key is that your intervals have to be hard.  Like really hard.  Maximum effort kind of hard.  Most of us are not familiar with this type of intensity, most of us like to keep it moderate.  But the athletes who are familiar with that intensity -- the 100 meter sprinters, the Olympic weight lifters, the gentlemen who play in the NLF -- they look like they work intensely.  And personally, I want to look like them.  Moderate intensity = moderate results.
 
In the next blog installment I'll tell you why HIIT works, and give you some more ideas about creating your own HIIT programming.  And to catch your attention, here’s a photo of my good friend and training partner, Katy.  Mother of three, mid-30s, and someone who trains less than 20 minutes per day. 



 

In keeping with the theme of National Yoga Month, combined with Back-to-School stress, I thought I'd share one of my favorite restorative yoga sequences.  This is a series of poses that can be very useful in times of stress, to calm anxiety, or simply come back to balance when you are feeling run down.

1. Start seated- Focus on your breath, trying to breath in to a count of five and exhale to a count of 5.  Let your awareness settle on the present moment and how your breath feels as you expand and contract.

 

2. Bound Angle- Bring the soles of your feet together, spine reaching tall.  Let your knees slowly and gently travel towards the earth.  Begin to shift your weight to your left, then forward, right, then back.  Keeping slowly opening the hips by moving in these circles.  Repeat 3-5 times, then reverse direction.



3. Table Top with twist- Come to hand and knees, shoulders over your wrists and hips over heels.  Root down through your left hand and reach tall with your right arm.  Bring it slowly underneath your left arm, twisting to the left and bringing your shoulder to or towards the floor.  Repeat on your other side.



 
4. Cat/Cow- Re-aligning yourself into table top position, take a deep breath in and look up as you arch your back.  Exhale and round the spine, gazing towards your navel and pushing the hands down into the floor.  Repeat 3-5 times, integrating your movement with your 
breath.



5. Child's Pose-Wide knees wide, bring your hips towards your heels as far as feels comfortable, forehead resting on the floor.  You can always use a blanket under your belly if your knees resist.  Stretch the arms out in front of you and reach towards the front of the room.  Breathe here, then slowly walk your hands out towards the right.  Open up your side body as you push down and away with the hands here.  Walk hands back to    
                     center and then over to the left.


6. Legs up the Wall- Move to the wall with 1-3 folded blankets or a bolster.  Stack the blankets and line them (or the bolster) up to the wall.  Begin with your right hip and shoulder just grazing the wall, sitting on the side of the blanket.  Slowly swing your legs up the wall and let your head and shoulders rest on the floor.  Don't be discouraged if you need to wiggle to get your hips closer to the wall, or if it takes you a few times to get there.  You'll get there eventually. :)  Keep your legs firm on the wall, but release your arms to your sides.  Close your eyes and let all the tension and anxiety you've built through your day melt.  Stay here 5-15 minutes, then slowly bend your knees and roll off your supports.  Stay on your side for a few breaths, then slowly come back to seated.  Ahhhhhhh!!!!!


Namaste,

Kristin Henningsen, M.S., C.H. R.Y.T.

Posted by Rachel L. May, M.S.
Adjunct Faculty, School of Health Sciences

September is National Yoga Month.  What does that mean?  Well, it has a different meaning for everyone.  Perhaps you are a seasoned Yogi and need to rejuvenate or renew your practice with a deeper study.  Now's the time to do it.  Perhaps you have been wanting to try yoga, but work, kids, dishes, etc., etc. always seems to take a priority.  Well, now's the time to try it.  Whatever it means for you, Yoga Month  inspires more mindful and healthy living by simply bringing awareness to the table. 

It's time to cast aside excuses and honor yourself by engaging in an activity that inspires your body, mind, and spirit.

Another great benefit of Yoga Month is that many studios around the country are offering free yoga.  Yes, free!  And not just one class, but a week of classes so you get to look around and choose a style that inspires you.  Check out http://www.yogamonth.org/ to find a studio near you that is offering this great service.  While you're there you can also check out their Yoga Month Blog for giveaways,  subscribe to their newsletter, or find yoga events in your community.  Take a look around and be inspired!

Now's the time to start that journey!
Namaste,
Kristin Henningsen, M.S., C.H., R.Y.T.

Perhaps you've heard.  Hula hooping is back!  And more exciting than ever before.  Last January I was lucky enough to be on the Colorado River with a Hooper for 25 days, and boy did she have some tricks up her sleeve!  Since then, however, I haven't had quite the time or exposure to explore this fun activity.  Well, last weekend that changed! 

One of the great parts of teaching at a yoga studio is that you get to join in all the fun workshops!  We were lucky enough to host a very talented hooper from the August, GA area.  She taught us basics, tricks, and then we even got to make our own hula hoops!  I'm not ashamed to admit I came home with 4 (for the kids of course!).  I've been addicted (to my kids delight) ever since. 

Not only is hula hooping fun, but it has health benefits as well!  According to hooping.org (2011) hula hooping helps burn fat, tones the body, increases your fitness level, improves your mood and coordination, and increases the flexibility of your spine.  I can vouch for the fact that my core muscles are feeling a little sore these days!

For me, my favorite part of hooping has been spending time outside with the kids being active.  The repetitive movement is almost a moving meditation and it has really helped clear my mind and reduce anxiety when I need it most.  Check out the above video of last weekend's guest teacher, Christina Berkshire,  to see what it's all about!

Happy Hooping!

Kristin Henningsen M.S., C.H., R.Y.T. and hooper extraordinaire