7 Benefits of HIIT and How It Will Change Your Life ...

The benefits of HIIT are literally being obsessed over by researchers who focus on diabetes at the moment. Some of their biggest findings support the idea that it enhances your cells' responses to insulin. As insulin shifts glucose into your cells, and those with type-2 diabetes aren't as responsive to insulin as most of us, this is great news for those with a confirmed type-2 diabetes diagnosis! Otherwise, this does suggest that it gives your metabolism a nice little boost. So all that sweating is worth it after all...

When your triglyceride levels are high, your risk of developing clots increases. A small study carried out by universities worldwide found that HIIT reduced triglyceride levels in obese patients within 48-hours. This means you don't need to wait long to see a big improvement to your health. You don't even need to engage in HIIT every day to see the benefits. A couple of times a week is enough!

If the aim of your HIIT is to lose weight, you should find that it is faster than when you engage in most forms of exercise. When you exercise, your muscles take up energy rapidly. However, with no rest periods they don't take up as much as they are capable of. With HIIT, you have those little rest periods that make your muscles relax, just so you can put them through the pain of reaching maximum capacity again. I know this doesn't sound fun, but it can be exhilarating. The weight loss results are better, which makes all breathlessness worth it.

HIIT is free. Okay, there are programs that ride off the back of it. Take Insanity, for example: it is great, but if you work hard enough you can produce the same results yourself. The YouTube channel 'Fitness Blender' has plenty of free HIIT videos. After a little while, you can learn enough about it to put yourself through the HIIT ringer without the guidance of an instructor.

Guess what? You don't need to be stood in your front room moving like a maniac to engage in HIIT. You can do it when you are running too. All you need to do is run at 100% capacity, before slowing down for a walk or gentle jog. Do this repeatedly for a while to see the same weight loss benefits.

A recent study found that a 2 to 1 working out to rest time ratio is all men and women need during HIIT. This shows that it works for both sexes. So if most of your friends are members of the opposite sex, you can get competing with them. Trust me, a competitive element is great for some people. I am more of an exercise loner, but I know a few couples and friendship groups that measure their successes together.

Finally, HIIT is super efficient. You can see some amazing benefits in just 20, or even 10, minutes. This means you can kiss goodbye to those hour long classes that zap up your working day. It also means there is no excuse for not working out. If you suffer from poor concentration levels, you too can benefit from this...

While I am more into my yoga and relaxing than anything, I do appreciate the benefits of HIIT. If you have an event or occasion you need to get in shape for, it works wonders. It is great for doing from home, at a class, or while on the move. If you love HIIT, how has it changed your life?