semi-organic life: what is HIIT?

welcome back!

and i say that to myself, not to my dear readers. gosh, writing has been difficult. i make no excuses nor do i offer any more lame attempts at an explanation. i have not been active in my blogging, and for that i apologize.

but i am here now, so now we blog.

i have a header on my blog called "semi-organic" life. this may come as a shock, but i do not post much there. due to how much i blog, i know this is truly mind blowing. i want to post more about that topic, but part of me holds back, mostly in fear. i don't want to appear to shove my lifestyle down your throat. i don't want to suggest that my lifestyle choices are better than yours. and i don't want to come off as a self proclaimed expert.

i want to share my lifestyle because it has been so successful to me. my goal in sharing is that anyone can take away any of the pieces from it. if you struggle with a workout plan, maybe what i do will help you find motivation. if you find that shopping for organic foods is overwhelming and expensive, maybe my tips could help.

i simply want to share because i believe in what i [we] do for our lives. i am not selling anything. i get no incentives by sharing my journey. but i am passionate about it. and i think that is a good starting point when it comes to sharing, writing, and blogging.

since spring is in the air, i want to touch on my workout regimen. we gotta work on those beach bodies! i feel that adopting a workout plan is easier than changing your diet. HEAR ME OUT. most people, when they decide they are ready to start a new workout plan, already have a general idea of what they want to do. or at the very least, what they are not willing to do. when it comes to food, eating healthy is so damn difficult. that is because the FDA doesn't give a shit about you. they just care about who is sending them paychecks [i.e., monsanto]. so when you make the decision to change your diet, you may think you've made good choices, but who knows, that granola bar could still be complete crap and full of sugar. you could still be filling your body with garbage. knowing what food is healthy, especially food from a box, is like solving a murder mystery. it really is ridiculous.

ok, i've gotten a bit sidetracked.

my workout regimen has been a very active part of my life for almost three years. i mostly do HIIT [high intensity interval training]. i like to include walking, running, and biking too. HIIT combines strength training + cardio in one workout. pretty great, huh? so you are not spending two hours at the gym trying to lift weights and get that treadmill time in. i can reap the benefits from a workout as short at 12 minutes [!!!!]. since it is interval training, i complete the workout in a continuous cycle of REST:WORK. the intervals just changes depending on the nature of the workout.

sample intervals:
10 sec rest, 50 sec work - repeat 12 times [total of 12 minutes]
15 sec rest, 45 sec work - repeat 12 times [total of 12 minutes]

sample exercises:
pushups
squats
tuck jumps
burpees
clean + press
lunge
row
bike abs

if you have ever heard of beachbody, insanity, 21-day fix, shaun T, P90X - all of those are based on HIIT. keith and i did insanity several times.

currently, i utilize bodyrock.tv [it's free]. they do offer add-on programs and equipment you can buy. however, the core programs are always free.
and if i want to change or manipulate anything, i do. i make it work for me.

it can be difficult to articulate what exactly HIIT is to someone who has never done it. you can start from scratch. you don't have to be in shape to do it [that is the point of exercise, right?]. i've had friends/family look at some of the stuff i do and say, "oh, i could never do that." well, i didn't use to be able to do that either. BUT NOW I CAN.

HIIT will teach you to move your body in ways you never expected nor thought you could. i encourage you to try it. what i love about it is, on days when i lack motivation, i always tell myself, "i can find 12 minutes, right?" or "i can make it through just 12 minutes...i got this." and once those 12 minutes are over, i almost always want to do more.