Short Intense Cardio Sprints

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I have a confession. I have always hated to do cardiovascular exercise and especially the cardio machines. If something is so boring and monotonous that reading and watching TV while doing it are seen as necessary, what's the point? The thought of staying in one place on one of those treadmills for 60 minutes just sickens me!

But I do know and often expound on the benefits of cardio exercise - the boost to your metabolism, the heart strengthening, the increase in oxygen levels, the lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

What is a girl like me to do?

Sprint! Yes, sprint. As in run or bike or row as fast and hard as you can for 20 seconds and then rest for a minute or two, repeating until you simply can't do anymore. Really fit people can do about 4 or 5 of these. I get to 3 or 4. And even 1 or 2 will help you fitness levels. This is also known as interval training.

Even Dr. Mehmet Oz finds this interesting.

"In one study, men who worked out really hard on a stationary bike for just a few minutes each week (30-second intervals four to six times a day, every other day) saw the same gains in muscle fitness as guys who cycled at a moderate pace for 90 to 120 minutes daily.

Another study revealed that four to six of those 30-second sprints also improved the guys' glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. In other words, it took down their likelihood of having off-kilter blood sugar and, eventually, diabetes.

The caveats (you knew there were some!): Intense exercise is not for the faint of heart — or body — so check with your doctor before you do it. And if you're counting on exercise to burn calories, well, you can't bank on this: The total calorie torch is about 250 a week. That's less than what's in a half-cup of Cherry Garcia (and we think we saw you eat more than a half-cup last night)."

Tags: Fitness, Fat Loss, Interval training, sprints

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