Exercise Article Index >> Super Boost Your Calorie-Burning Potential With 'Intervals' Well, are you ready to ramp-up your weight loss and fitness program? Are you REALLY ready to get serious about it? I believe in making "intervals" a major part your aerobic exercise sessions. However, intervals aren't for the timid who are just "talking" about exercise. They're for the serious folks. So, if you're serious about putting your weight loss and fitness programs in high gear, here we go! Intervals are brief periods (about one minute) of more intense exercise mixed into your regular aerobic exercise sessions. For example, if you're walking, you would do a one- minute interval of faster walking about every five minutes throughout your exercise session. You'll begin with your normal three- to five-minute warm-up. Then, five minutes into your workout you do your first interval, one minute of faster walking (or perhaps jogging). At the end of that minute you should be winded and ready to slow down. You'll slow down to your normal exercising speed for the next four minutes and then your fifth minute is another one-minute interval. This pattern continues throughout your exercise session. You'll derive several benefits from intervals: 1. Intervals can help you get past a weight loss plateau. 2. Intervals increase your aerobic fitness level by pushing the envelope. While doing your interval you cross the anaerobic threshold into anaerobic metabolism, forcing your body to become conditioned to more intense exercise. 3. Your increased level of fitness means that a given level of exercise will feel easier and that you will be able to exercise at a higher intensity which burns more calories. 4. Your increased level of fitness also means that you will be less fatigued from daily activities and you'll have more energy throughout the day. 5. Intervals increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR), causing you to burn more calories 24 hours a day. 6. Intervals cause you to burn more calories during your exercise session and for several hours afterwards. 7. Intervals will tone the involved muscles to a greater degree than your regular aerobic exercise would. 8. Intervals can make your exercise less monotonous and help the time pass more quickly. 9. Intervals will energize you! If you'd like to put a little excitement into your exercise, and you're looking for better results, give intervals a try! Author and exercise physiologist Greg Landry offers free weight loss and fitness articles and e-zines at his web site www.Landry.com Exercise Article Index >> News I Health I Wellness I Exercise I Profiles I Business I Links I Women ROCK! Product Review I To the Point I Contact I Home Created by: Art Street Design Studio. © Concerning Women Communications, Inc. all rights reserved.