Can HIIT Help You Live Longer and Look Better?

Are you getting the results you deserve and desire from your current exercise and fitness plan? How would you like to invest less time in your exercise program and receive more benefits? Now is a great time to learn more High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) tips. During these crazy coronavirus conditions, many people have gained a few extra pounds and lost some of their muscle mass due to extra sitting and stress eating.  The lack of resistance training can lead to muscle atrophy and sarcopenia and gaining weight can lead to many health issues, so it is essential to use this information to your advantage. When you are ready to boost your emotional, mental, and physical happiness and health HIIT may be just what you are looking for to help you.

Many people are also struggling with anxiety, mood swings, and sleep issues. HIIT can help with these as well.  We all know we should have regular exercise and fitness activities for our health and well-being, yet many people are stressed and struggling. Many people feel they do not have enough time for exercise and fitness. As discussed in the previous blog there are many bio-hacks to receive more benefits in less time. HIIT is a bio-hack that helps you have a more beneficial workout in less time. It can also help boost your immune system and improve your resilience as well.

While it is important to be active during the day and keep moving, there are times when you want to focus on increasing the intensity of your workout to stress your joints and muscles enough to stimulate growth and hormesis. Hormesis is the benefit of our body adapting to additional stress to improve our resilience.  HIIT causes your musculature, nervous and skeletal system to respond to additional levels of demand, performance, and stress which triggers mico-progression of your entire system simultaneously. When you are not doing HIIT you are allowing your entire system to gradually deteriorate by mico-regression. Nothing in life stays static. We must be constantly improving and progressing or we are slowly declining and regressing.

Many people think that aerobic and cardio routines are enough to stay fit and healthy. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that excessive aerobic and cardio exercise can cause excess oxidative stress and inflammation. Too many people spend too much time doing ellipticals, running, stationary bikes, treadmills, and walking.

“While all forms of exercise offer some benefits, our body is designed for a wide range and variety of activities.” —Michael Morningstar

Life demands that we be able to carry weight, lift items, as well as pull and push items. To carry a bag of groceries, grandchild, potted plants, or a suitcase requires building our muscle mass and skeletal structure to safely handle the load.

The Morningstar NEWS blog is passionate about helping you discover or rediscover the many benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training.  HIIT is a fantastic bio-hack to create better muscle resiliency, strength, and tone. During these crazy coronavirus conditions, it is more important than ever to focus on our overall health and well-being. As mentioned in many previous blogs the key to health and resiliency is to implement a wide variety of exercise, fitness, and holistic health strategies. HIIT is a great foundation for any exercise and fitness program.  It is the perfect companion for biking, hiking, swimming, and walking to offer better disease prevention and protection benefits. 

High-Intensity Interval Training Tips

• Always focus on your agility, balance, breath, flexibility, movement, and warm-up before engaging in HIIT. The goal is to get the heart rate up a bit and keep it up as you place major stimulation and strain on various muscle groups.  You should be unable to carry on a conversation. A bonus benefit of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts is that you can get an excellent full-body workout in 10 to 20 minutes. This can help you gain, maintain and sustain your muscle mass and cardiopulmonary health.
• Burpee’s are a great way to do some full-body HIIT exercise. A circuit might include 30 seconds of burpees followed by 1 minute of rebounding and then repeat for 8 reps.
• Burst Training can be done by running in place for 30 seconds followed by rebounding or walking in place for 1 minute and repeating for 8 reps.
• Jumping Jacks are a great HIIT workout. Consider doing 30 seconds to 1 minute of JJ and then arms curls or
• Nitric Oxide Dump 4 minute workout, promoted by Zach Bush, MD offers many different benefits. Try it for 4 to 8 minutes and see what you think. Check out his youtube video for a demonstration. If the basic regiment is too easy for you try adding 1 pound weights and give it a go.
• Plyometrics such as doing intense jumping, pulling, or pushing for 30 seconds followed by a 1-minute interval movement is a great HIIT workout. Repeat 8 times.
• QiGong can also be used for HIIT. Try the hugging a tree pose for 1 minute followed by mountain pose or plank for 1 minute and repeat for 8 reps.
• Sprints or Stationary Sprints can be a great full-body HIIT. Consider doing a sprint or stationary sprint for 30 seconds then a 90-second walk and repeat 8 times.
• Static contraction can be done by lifting or pressing a heavier weight with a short restricted range of motion. Some good ones include deadlift, leg press, military press, and squats. You can also do isometric static contraction without weights for 30 seconds then move for 60 seconds and repeat.
• Tabata training offers some fantastic HIIT workouts.
• Yoga power poses can be modified for HIIT. Try a one leg pose or the warrior pose for 1 minute followed by mountain pose or planks for 30 seconds and repeat for 8 reps.
• Walking up and down a flight of stairs for 30 seconds followed by 1 minute of walking around with hand weights and then repeating for 8 cycles is a great way to do HIIT. As you become more conditioned and feel stronger you can increase the exertion time or intensity and keep the walk time the same.

High-Intensity Interval Training Tips for Seniors

• Balance on each foot for 30 seconds. Focus on raising your foot at least 6 inches off the ground and off your other foot or leg. Have a handhold handy in case you need it.
• Breath training and breathwork help to enhance your lung capacity and improve your immune system at the same time. Do a resistance activity that increases your breathing and contracts various muscles for 30 seconds then, walk in place for 1 minute. Repeat for 8 reps.
• Carry a heavy hand weight in each hand and a 5-pound weight in a backpack and walk in place for 30 seconds. Set the hand weights down for 1 minute and walk in place. Do this for 8 reps. Increase the amount of weight as you progress over time. Plastic bottles with sand or water make great weights and make free DIY exercise and fitness training equipment. Notice how great it feels to take the backpack of weight off. This will simulate what it will feel like to release excess weight you may be carrying around all the time. Visualize that valuable vision several times a day to send signals to your body and brain especially before you eat a meal.
• Do a mountain pose or plank with the goal to hold it for 15 – 30 seconds with all or some of your weight. Then stand and do arm rotations, military presses, and reach for the sky stretches for 1/2 – 1 minute. Repeat the cycle for 8 reps. Be careful and use the correct form and posture to protect your neck and spine. Leaning against a tree or wall between the mountain pose or plank has great benefits for building stamina and strength. Proper pushups are great for those that can do them.
• Hang onto a chin-up bar, pull-up bar, or tree branch for 15 seconds.  Then lean against a wall for 1 minute. Repeat for 8 reps. Many people have weaker arms, hands, and shoulder muscles so use caution. If you have difficulty with hanging try doing bear crawls and crab crawls for arm, hand, and shoulder benefits. Try crawls for 15 seconds then lay on your stomach and do the superman stretch for 30 seconds and repeat for 8 reps. Always use caution and good form to protect your back and spine.
• Isometric pulling and pushing are easy and fast ways to use an immovable object to do HIIT and minimize your chance of injury. Use a door jam to push to the sides and then push up for 15 seconds then do an assisted squat or air chair for 30 seconds and repeat 8 times. Find a bathroom or closet door and decide to do this every time you enter as a way to condition your body and brain with reminder signals.
• Lie down and prepare to do leg lifts. Place your arms along your body and place your hands under your upper thigh. Slowly lift your legs individually or together until they are straight up and then slowly lower them down and repeat 2 or 3 times. Roll onto your stomach to do supermans stretches for 30 seconds. Repeat 8 times. Start with what you can do comfortably and increase the number over time.
• QiGong is a great method to boost your body, mind, and spiritual resilience. The famous hug-a-tree pose, standing like a tree or standing post can be done almost anytime and anywhere. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise your arms up and in front of your heart as if you were hugging a tree. Extend your hands with palms facing you and fingers spread out. Be sure to breathe in and out through your nose. Visualize a ball of blue healing light in your arms. While this may sound very easy, it can produce a full-body workout by simply standing still. How amazing and exciting is that? Try it for 1 to 3 minutes then walk in place for 1 minute and repeat for 8 reps. It is most beneficial to do this while you are calm, relaxed, and silent. To get some physical benefit you can also do this while you are listening to music, talking on a phone, or watching a movie or show. Doing this while doing other things requires no extra time so there is no valid excuse to avoid hugging a tree.
• Rebound on a mini trampoline carefully with a handhold for 1 minute. Then step off the rebounder and do assisted squats for 15 seconds and repeat for a series of 8. When watching a show you may go much longer on the rebounder and transition yourself from a couch potato to a conditioned person.
• Sit in a solid and strong chair and go from sitting to standing without using your hands to push off. Do this for 15 to 30 seconds while maintaining caution and control. as you sit and stand. Then do brain gym cross-stepping for 1 minute. Cross stepping is raising your right leg and touching your knee with your left hand then lowering your right leg and then raising your left leg and touching your left knee with your right hand. Continue the cross-stepping for 1 minute and transition back to sits and stands. Repeat for 8 reps.
• Squats are a super way to build better balance, strength, and tone.  They can be done with or without hand weights. Using rope, straps, or TRX training straps is a great way to do assisted squats. Do your squats for 15 to 30 seconds then stop and do walking in place for 1 minute. Repeat for 8 reps.
• Walk up and down a flight of stairs then walk around for one minute. If you do not have any stairs handy find a curb or step and practice stepping up and then down. Then walk for 1 to 2 minutes. Add small hand weights if you are comfortable and confident with this additional challenge.