HIIT Cardio at the Gym

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is all we hear about these days. "Wanna burn fat without burning muscle?" "Wanna burn double the amount of calories during and even after your workout?" Well Ladies and Gents, it ain't for nothin'. Seriously! Everything you hear about it is true. HIIT has many benefits:

1. HIIT allows you to burn through your fat instead of your muscle. When your heart rate is too high for a steady amount of time, you start burning through all the hard work you put in on leg day. You'll lose muscle if you continuously run at 6.0 for 30-60 minutes. Don't believe me? Try it yourself! I tested this theory and I saw results that I was not  looking for. After 3 weeks my muscle definition was less visible and my legs were almost pudgy. I worked so hard to get nice firm legs and just after 3 weeks my legs were twice as jiggly.

2. Studies show that when you incorporate HIIT into your workout, you burn way more calories while you're working out because your heart rate is making those sudden jumps. You also keep burring those calories long after you've completed your workout. *score*

3. With HIIT workouts you can actually cut the time you spend at the gym to 30-40 minutes. I used to have 40-90 minutes cardio sessions on top of weightlifting and never knew why I wasn't getting the results I wanted. In this post I am going to tell you what you can do on the cardio equipment at the gym and still burn lots of calories.

4. HIIT is a lot more fun! You can switch it up so you're never doing the same thing. People always tell me that they get bored of the gym. I would get bored too if I were doing the same thing day in and day out for hours and hours.

If this hasn't convinced you enough try it yourself! Here are a few examples for beginners...
(These exercises are specifically for cardio equipment, however it can also be done on a track/park/trail just not as precise).

Believe it or not, this is the only picture I have of myself on a piece of cardio equipment. I NEED A NEW GYM BUDDY THAT LIKES TO TAKE PICTURES! lol ...

HIIT on the Treadmill:

20 minutes total @ interval 5.0

2 minute warm up - 30 seconds sprint - 40 seconds walk - 2 minute cool down

Time	Speed
0-2 Minutes	3.5
30 seconds	6.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	8.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	8.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	7.5
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	8.0
40 seconds	3.5
30 seconds	6.0
0-2 minutes	3.5

HIIT on StairMaster - 20 minutes total

Minute	Level
1	5
2	5
3	8
4	10
5	12
6	14
7	2
8	8
9	10
10	12
11	14
12	2
13	8
14	10
15	12
16	14
17	2
18	8
19	14
20	2

Let me know what you think! I've enjoyed working out a lot more since I switched up my cardio routine so I hope you feel the same once you try it out!

I also decided to include some Before & After Pictures... the first few are from 2+ years ago when I first started this incredible journey. Not only did a passion for fitness grow inside of me, I grew an urge to nurture my body the way we are supposed to. I am not saying I am in the best possible shape, I still believe that I have a long way to go... However, I am proud of the progress I've made and all I want is to inspire others to do the same!

Slowly, but surely (with a few bumps in the road)...

If you'd like to see more of my HIIT workouts click the "WORKOUTS" tab on my homepage :)

Guilt-Free Peanut Butter Cups

I've never been so in love with a healthy dessert, I promise you'll love this! When I made this stuff I immediately had my friends and family try it because I was so pleased! It's the perfect amount of chocolate to suppress my cravings and its so rich that I can never eat more than one, which keeps me on track.

If you read my "Challenge #2: Go Nuts" post, and you've been trying to incorporate nuts into you meals this dessert will work great! It gives you the right amount of nutrition and sweetness. Also whats great about my Peanut Butter Cups is you can make a huge batch and not have to worry about it going bad.

As far as the cocoa powder goes, it's up to you whether or not you'd like to get it unsweetend/sweetened. Make sure you're buying organic or just a brand you can trust. With all the marketing out there these days you can be pressured into buying something that "speeds up your metabolism" or has a "great amount of antioxidants" but if you want my advice, do your research because this ingredient is great to keep in the kitchen for any healthy recipes. 

Guilt-Free Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients 

2 Cups of Peanut Butter (unsweet)

2 tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)

1 tbsp Honey

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 tbsp Honey (add more if needed)

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil (melted)

1/4 Cup Organic Vegan Chocolate Chips (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients for the peanut butter half: peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey. Place in a muffin try and let it sit in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. 

2. Mix all of the ingredients for the chocolate half: cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and vegan chocolate chips. Once everything is completely mixed, grab the pan out of the freezer and add the new layer. Place back into the freezer for another 20 minutes until they're completely frozen. Enjoy!!

My PB Cups have chopped dates in some which I actually liked a lot. This is easy to mess around with you can add a lot of things and even get rid of some, it's all up to you. I hope you guys try these out and love them as much as I do!

Mango-Berry Smoothie

I don't know what I loved more about this smoothie... The way it looked or how delicious it was? Close call. I try to eat my fruits in the morning before I eat anything cooked (it's much better for your digestion).

A little trick I like to use when making smoothies is throwing everything into the glass or mason jar I plan on drinking out of and using that as my guide to make however much I plan on drinking. This way I don't make too much. For this recipe I filled up a large mason jar that holds about 3 cups.
 
Mango-Berry Smoothie Recipe 

Mango Half:

1 1/2 Handfuls of Frozen Mango Chunks 
1/2 of Large Banana
Honey or Sweetener of Choice, to taste

Berry Half:

6 Large Strawberry
1 Handful of Frozen Blueberries
3 Slices of Frozen Peaches
Honey or Sweetener of Choice, to taste

Directions:
1. Start by making the mango half in your blender. You want the mixture to be pretty thick because it will mix otherwise. Once you've blended the three ingredients, pour it in your jar/glass, rinse the blender and mix the berry half. If you do not see a distinct line, push down the berry half with a spoon.

Tricep + Ab Workout - 8/13

I've decided to post my daily workout's up on the blog - no promises that I'll be able to post one for every workout. I will try my best to find accurate names for all of the workouts but if you have any questions feel free to comment here, on Instagram, or Facebook. Unfortunately at the moment I don't have a workout partner so I won't have someone to take pictures of me every day. As soon as I can I will add some pictures to go along with my gym workouts.

Working out at the gym can be an obstacle for a lot of people. But I am here to tell you that you need to go in there, kill your workout and walk out! No one cares what you look like or what weird exercises you're doing. Everyone started out like you and some are probably at the exact same level. Walk in with confidence and crawl out because you kicked your workout in the butt.

20-30 Minutes of Cardio

Tricep Workout

5 sets of 10 reps

Bent Arm Cable Pushdowns with Bar
Straight Arm Cable Pushdowns with Bar
Lying Barbell Tricep Extensions
Tricep Dips on Bench
Tricep Pressdown with Rope

Ab Workout
I did these workouts on a flat bench because it challenged me to squeeze tight so I didn't fall off.

2 sets of 15-20 Reps

V-Ups
Alternating  Leg Lifts
Crunches
Bicycle Crunches
Toe Touches
Hip Raises

5 Minutes of Cardio

Stretch

Challenge #2: Go Nuts

Nutrition can get pretty confusing when you're trying to lose weight or just stay in shape. You don't know what to eat, how much, how little... You know what's terrible for you and you know what's gonna do wonders for your body... But what about that stuff in between? Like the stuff that you think is natural but fitness gods swear you should stay away from... And yes I'm talking about nuts.

Your 2^nd challenge will be to add ½ cup of nuts to your diet every single day. Whether it’s in a smoothie or you’re eating them plain it will work the same way. So how are nuts ok to eat while you're trying to lose weight? Aren't they full of calories? Well, yes. But they're also full of nutrition! Here's what's great about nuts; eating nuts in moderation can actually help you lose weight.

When you spend more time snacking on nuts, you spend less time snacking on chips or pretzels because nuts will keep you fuller longer, and you're slowly breaking the bad habit of eating highly addictive and fattening snacks. The less you eat junk, the less you crave it. Another cool trick is that the whole process of chewing those crunchy nuts makes you eat less because your jaw gets so tired of chewing. 

So what happens to all of the nuts we eat? Where do the calories go?! 70% actually disappears through dietary compensation mechanisms (just slips right through us), 20% may be lost due to increased fat burn (nuts speed up our metabolism), and 10% is just flushed away. So what's left? Lots of nutrition, a sped up metabolism, and a suppressed appetite.

For those those of you that want facts...

The "fecal excretion theory" shows that "a good portion of the cell walls of almonds remain intact in the GI tract throughout digestion, so even though nuts are high in calories, you may not absorb those calories because they stay behind".

So you might be asking, "How can I still lose weight by eating ground nuts?" The cell walls are already ground up, ready for absorption and ready to pack on calories…Right?

Well a study was done with two groups, one that ate whole peanuts and the other ate the same amount of peanuts ground into butter. “Both groups were told to continue following their regular diet... Neither group gained any weight because nut consumption is so satisfying, so appetite suppressing that throughout the rest of the day they unconsciously ate less”.

Not only do we lose weight when eating nuts, but nuts can actually help us live longer, healthier lives. A study done by Dr. Frank Hu,  professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, showed that daily nut-eaters were less likely to die of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease. That's a win win if you ask me. 

Eating nuts also burns fat. Arginine (found in nuts, soy, seeds, and beans) stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis (creation of more furnaces per cell) in your body. Creating a thermogenic effect that boosts your metabolism.

There's really no way to go wrong with eating nuts everyday. They're good for you and they taste great. I hope you all enjoyed this blog post because I worked really hard on getting all of this information together. I've applied this to my diet and I love it! I can't wait to hear about how this helped you reach your fitness goals! 

Disclaimer: Any of the information stated is an opinion that I've formed through my own research. I am not a doctor and I am not promising that this will work for anyone. Before you attempt any type of lifestyle change, whether its something you read here or on the internet, do your own research and consult your doctor.

Some informations was provided by author Kathy Freston in her book The Lean.