As college students, we are constantly bombarded with assignments and exams – not to mention the numerous extracurricular activities that take up most of our day. On top of that, we have to cook for ourselves, have a social life, and make sure we get enough sleep. With so many points to check off on our to-do list, exercise and health become the least of our concerns. The buffet-style dining halls don't help our case, and most of us easily gain a few pounds that are very difficult to lose.
Going to the gym is a step in the right direction. Getting on the treadmill and running for 30 minutes at a constant speed that is not too slow or not too fast might make you feel better after the 30 minutes is up. But what if you could increase the efficiency and achieve the same effect with less time?
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the answer. HIIT is an interval training where you alternate between high-intensity anaerobic exercise and lower-intensity resting periods. Personally, for me, 1-minute intervals in a total of 15 minutes seems to hit that sweet spot.
A 1994 study on HIIT found that those who participated were 9 times more effective at losing body fat than those in the endurance training programs even though the latter burned two times the calories. In addition, a study in 2012 showed that HIIT improved cardiovascular health. Another study in 2017 indicated that weight loss itself was not significant between HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training, but HIIT allows the same amount of calories to be burned in less amount of time. So, isn't HIIT the perfect solution for us college students who need to lose weight but don't have enough time?
Of course, I don't like to be one-sided and say that long duration cardio should be completely abandoned. There are benefits from these steady-state cardio workouts including improvement in recovery and reduction of stress. As with anything, too much of HIIT can also be damaging because it asks a lot out of your body. Once or twice a week seems to be appropriate. Above it all, HIIT is by far the best weight loss regimen for me and I'd prefer it over apple cider vinegar over-the-counter diet pills any day.