Hi all! Let’s continue our chat about exercise and how it can help us reduce stress and cortisol levels. Today, I want to talk about cardio and what we need to be careful about. Maybe you’ve heard—or figured out through experience—that long cardio sessions can be more stressful than helpful for your body and stress levels.
I used to do hour-long cardio sessions because I thought that was the way to go. I was very skeptical when I first heard about HIIT. I’m sure most of you have heard of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It’s good news for those of us who aren’t crazy about long cardio workouts—HIIT offers more benefits in less time. It builds muscle, gets your heart pumping, and even helps expand your lung capacity, whether you’re a gym regular or just starting out. Its benefits go way beyond that—remember that sweet, sweet sleep we chatted about a few posts back? Well, this exercise can help you catch those Zzz’s even easier. I’d love for you to give it a try and see if you can double down on those sleep goals. And it does all this without draining your adrenals.
The idea with HIIT is to push yourself to the max (your max, not somebody else’s) with bursts of intense exercise, followed by brief recovery periods. Think 20 seconds of all-out effort, then 60 seconds to catch your breath, and repeat until you hit the 15-minute mark.
HIIT isn’t as new as it might seem. It’s been around since before World War II, but it really took off when a Japanese trainer named Tabata put his spin on it. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can find tons of Tabata-inspired workouts on YouTube—for free!
HIIT is quite easy to modify to your preferences and needs. Some people swear by the classic 20-60 split, while others prefer mixing it up with variations like 30-30 or 40-20. But remember, rest is crucial. If you don’t rest enough, you won’t be able to push yourself hard enough to get the benefits. When we don’t rest adequately, we end up pacing ourselves during the active phase instead of giving it our all, because we’re trying to keep going for longer than 20 seconds.
Also, you don’t have to start with or graduate to full-on jumping jacks and other high-impact moves if you’re just starting out or have limitations. Low-impact Tabata and HIIT routines are great for beginners and those needing to accommodate specific conditions. Start small, work your way up, and know when you’ve reached your maintenance level!
Believe it or not, those short bursts of intensity can give you a serious edge—whether you’re an Olympic athlete or just crushing your daily goals. Shorter workouts are not inferior at all. Even a 12-minute session can leave you sweating bullets and feeling like a total champ.
When it comes to HIIT, you’re not limited to just sprinting and biking. You can get creative with compound exercises too. Try squats with weights followed by some easy sidestepping. That’s a Tabata-style workout in its own right! You can also make the most of your environment. Out for a stroll and spot a hill? Perfect! Use that incline to your advantage. Walking uphill automatically amps up the intensity, so you don’t even have to pick up the pace. Plus, you’ve got a natural course laid out for you—uphill for your high-intensity push, downhill for your rest.
If hills aren’t your thing, you can opt for the classic sprint-and-walk combo. Indoors on a treadmill? Crank up the incline or speed. You can even hit the stairs in your own house for a quick interval session. The key is to get your heart pumping, so any movement that gets you there counts.
If you’re thinking, “I don’t have 15 minutes to spare,” it’s time for a reality check. What can you tweak in your routine to carve out that workout time? Maybe hit the sack a bit earlier so you can squeeze in that short session in the morning. Don’t worry if you’re not clocking a full 15 minutes right off the bat. Start with just one cycle and build from there.
Fitness is about progress, not perfection. I once heard a story about someone who could only manage a high-intensity burst for seven seconds before needing a ten-minute breather. But instead of giving up, she took it one step at a time. The next day, she pushed it to eight seconds, then nine, and so on. Baby steps are awesome—whether it’s daily or weekly, just keep moving forward at your own pace.
Let’s break down how all this exercise actually fires up your energy levels. Remember learning about glycogen in science class? Your body stashes away some of that glycogen every day for energy needs. When you kick off your workout, it goes straight for those glycogen stores, especially in the morning when they’re at their lowest. Once those are tapped out, it’s fat-burning time—your body’s most efficient fuel source, especially in the a.m.
During the high-intensity part of your workout, lactic acid starts building up. But during your recovery time, that lactic acid does a nifty little flip and converts back into energy for your cells recycling that energy. That’s what also creates that post-workout burn and keeps your metabolism revved up for a whopping 24 hours.
Breathing through your nose during those high-intensity bursts has additional benefits. It can dial up your energy even more due to the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. It’s worth playing around with if you want to see if it works for you. I haven’t gotten there yet, but it might be a game-changer for you.
Another cool perk of working out this way is that it activates human growth hormone, or HGH. Remember those growth spurts when we were kids? That’s HGH at work. Even as adults, we can tap into that fountain of youth with the right exercise. When HGH kicks in, it also unleashes hormone-sensitive lipase, a fat-burning enzyme that targets stored fuel. This means steady, lasting energy with fewer pesky dips throughout the day—perfect for tackling all those tasks on your kingdom-building to-do list.
HGH also gives your skin a youthful glow by boosting blood circulation and protein utilization. These benefits stick around for a full 24 hours after your workout. Some people swear by a 15-minute session every single day, while others find that a bit too stressful on the system. I like to mix it up. Try alternating HIIT workouts with leisurely walks or whatever feels good and sustainable for you. Balance is key, and we want to keep our bodies happy and healthy for the long haul!
Let me introduce you to an indoor workout option with lots of benefits: rebounders. It’s a compact, mini-trampoline that can fit right next to your office desk. Imagine sneaking in some exercise throughout your day with that setup!
Here’s some fascinating data discovered by Albert Carter, an Olympic trampolinist. His family was incredibly fit—all thanks to trampolining. Carter wanted to find out why trampolining created such strong bodies, and it turns out, NASA discovered something groundbreaking. Astronauts lose up to 25% of muscle and bone mass in space due to the lack of gravity. But guess what helps them bounce back faster than ever? You guessed it—trampolining.
So, why does bouncing on a trampoline work wonders? It’s all about three magical forces: gravity, acceleration, and deceleration. According to Einstein, these forces affect your body the same way, whether you’re going up or coming down. Plus, the springy surface absorbs much of the impact, giving your joints a break while still challenging every cell in your body to get stronger. Even people with joint issues have found relief through trampoline therapy, bouncing their way to stronger muscles without the joint strain.
Rebounding also has incredible lymphatic benefits. When you jump up and down, it’s like giving your lymphatic system a turbo boost. Every bounce opens and closes the gates of this system, acting like a supercharged vacuum cleaner for your body. This means fantastic detoxification and a major boost to your immunity. All that waste that’s been hanging around gets swept out of your system, thanks to your body’s pumping action.
Don’t worry if you’re not ready for high-flying jumps just yet. You can start with a gentle jog on the rebounder or light bounces that barely lift you off the ground. The beauty of the rebounder is that it’s indoors, so you can fit it into your daily routine without needing to brave the elements.
From my own experience, having a rebounder right next to my office desk has been helpful and inspiring. Some experts recommend hopping on for just a minute every hour during your workday, while others suggest three minutes, three times a day. But let’s keep it real—when you’re just starting out, even three minutes can feel like running a marathon.
To make your rebounding sessions more effective and fun, think of your jumping as the high-intensity part and the bouncing as your rest time. This way, you can keep it sustainable and enjoyable.
There’s also a fascinating trick I’ve heard about but haven’t tried consistently myself yet. They say if you focus on something nearby while you’re jumping for 10 jumps, and then switch to focusing on something in the distance for the next 10 jumps, it can actually train and improve your eyesight for fine print. I haven’t been consistent with this, but it’s definitely something worth experimenting with.
If you’re like me and prefer to follow along rather than figure out what to do on your own, YouTube has got your back with plenty of rebounding trampoline workouts. It’s like having your own personal trainer right in your living room!
That’s enough talk for today about more aspects of exercise. There’s still more to come, so stay tuned for the next post where I will link you to a free, very effective workout program that you can do in three 15-minute sessions a week for great strength and energy benefits.
