#LEAN14: “nothin’ fancy” HIIT workout.

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Back in December I shared my go-to HIIT treadmill workout. It’s a great one that I still do often!

Sometimes, though, I need my workouts to be as basic as possible in order for me to actual exercise at all. While my last HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout varied throughout 3 speeds, this super simple one keeps it at just 2.

No thinking, no pushing lots of buttons, just some good old fashioned intervals.

This can be easily adjusted to your fitness level by speed (give or take 0.5) and/or add incline!

"Nothin' Fancy" 25-minute HIIT treadmill workout

Please note that I am *not* a trainer or fitness expert, this is just a workout based on my own knowledge and experience that has personally worked for me. Please consult a doctor before starting any fitness routine.

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Are you a fan of HIIT? What’s your favorite form of cardio?

#LEAN14 january jumpstart: a month in review.

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I can’t believe January is already over! It was definitely an interesting month – taking on January Jumpstart while also planning a move, launching a new company, and keeping up with other life stuff.

Overall I would say that January Jumpstart was a success for me. Even though I didn’t stick to all of the goals 100%, it really held me accountable to keep up with healthy choices instead of letting them fall by the wayside a week in. I’m excited to keep up with LEAN14 for the rest of the year.

But for now, here’s a recap of how I did with my January Jumpstart goals.

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day – YES

2. Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables each day – YES

3. Exercise 3 days a week (30-60 min combo of strength & cardio) – Eh, not so much. Some weeks I did great, others I did 1-2 workouts, or none at all. With the move and Speakable launch, life has been crazy!

4. Squats, squats, and more squats – see above

5. Eat more clean, whole foods – YES

6. Eat balanced meals and less snacking – Yes and no, I definitely cut down on the snacking, but not entirely.

7. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night – YES

8. Limit soda/energy drinks to 3 per week (an improvement for me) – YES! I actually did way better with this than I thought. I haven’t had a single soda or energy drink all month.

9. Allow more time to walk/take the subway instead of cabs – Nope. I blame the Polar Vortex.

10. Track more of my meals/workouts here on GML – Not as much as I wanted to. At least I still have all year 😉

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And to wrap things up, here are some of my favorite #LEAN14 posts from January:

(Click the image to go to the post)

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Did you do a January Jumpstart of sorts?
How is LEAN in 2014 going for you so far?

the 7-minute workout.

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A reader recently shared this workout as part of her goal for LEAN14 (thanks Dawn!). I was so interested when I learned more about it, so I wanted to share it with you! LEAN14 is all about small changes and attainable goals, and what’s more attainable than a short 7-minute workout?

Basically the workout is a form of HIIT, engaging the large muscles in your upper and lower body.

As for the shortness of the workout, according to work by scientists at McMaster University and other institutions, “even a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding.”

Read more about the 7-Minute Workout here.

 

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What do you think about the 7-Minute Workout?

Do you think it’s bologna that it can be so effective in such a short amount of time, or do you agree with the HIIT premise?