Exercise: Less Equals More

You may be thinking that title is too good to be true, but we now have support in the research literature. In the last 10 years, the research in the field of exercise physiology has provided more and more data to support the benefits of high-intensity intermittent activity. Sprint Interval Training (SIT) as it is called in the literature is the optimal solution to today’s busy lifestyle. The biggest excuse to not exercise for the majority of people is that they don’t have time. SIT done correctly as 4 bouts of 60 second intervals spread through-out the day has been found to burn more fat after exercise and in one particular study it doubled a person’s capacity to do aerobic activity. In other words not only will it help you move quickly in an emergency situation, but it will also help you make it through those hours of mall walking that come with holiday shopping.

SIT is based on the fact that 90% of sports that are played are sprint-like in nature. Tennis, soccer, basketball, rugby, & baseball, all consist of going really hard, then stopping and repeating. These vigorous bouts of all-out exercise deplete our body’s stores of glycogen or sugar in the muscle and create an “oxygen debt” in the muscle that must be repaid by using fat for fuel afterwards.

My favorite machine for doing this type of training is the X-iser Machine™. The reason I like this machine so much is as follows:

• It is a small stepper that takes up only a 2 foot by 2-foot space on the floor.
• It uses a small range of motion that prevents injury.
• It exerts minimal impact on the spine for people with back issues.
• It trains your balancing ability, helping to prevent falls.
• You can incorporate weights while using the stepper to improve muscular strength and endurance.
• It comes with a back-pack and is portable for travel
• It is very versatile and can be used for upper body, core, and lower body training.
• One minute of intense exercise doesn’t break a sweat so you don’t have to change clothes, or shower.

Research data collected using the X-iser Machine™ showed that one-minute bouts of intense stepping used an average of 46.7 calories/min compared to only 9.3 calories/min for a twenty-minute bout of typical aerobic exercise. This study supports others that show when comparing low-moderate intensity exercise to SIT, the SIT causes metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle that favors fat burning.

SIT activities can be done in multiple ways, for example: running up stadium stairs; stair steppers; elliptical trainers; jumping rope; or riding a stationary bike. (Treadmills are not recommended for safety reasons.) The above activities have small ranges of motion, meaning you are not taking big strides or steps, and therefore a warm-up is not required. However, if you are a man over age 40 or a woman over age 50 and have not participated in a regular exercise program and/or you have heart disease or multiple risk factors for heart disease, it is highly recommended that you consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any exercise program.

An example program would be as follows:

• 20 seconds all-out as fast as you can go. Remember, you are not pacing yourself.
• 20 seconds stop and rest, you should be breathing hard at this point

Repeat that 3 times for a total of 60 seconds of intense exercise. Repeat this sequence 4 times/day with a rest day in between for optimal results. See our article on how strength training maximizes your metabolism.

Written by Regina Basterrechea, MS