| About 100 years ago, when I was on the high | | | | high-intensity exercise. The fat loss of the |
| school track team, Coach Miller "encouraged" | | | | group who worked out less was nine times |
| us to do "wind sprints". We would jog around | | | | greater than the subjects performing moderate |
| the track for a while, suddenly break into a | | | | exercise.Of the three key exercise |
| sprint for about 40 yards and then slow down | | | | variables...how often you do it, how hard you |
| to a walk as our lungs cried out "Please | | | | work and how long you last, intensity has the |
| don't do that again."In the beginning we | | | | most powerful effect. Your body responds to |
| looked upon this activity as an extreme form | | | | short bursts of intensity by releasing a |
| of punishment but we learned later that these | | | | cascade of fat-mobilizing hormones and |
| alternating intensity workouts, now known as | | | | anti-aging growth hormones that supercharge |
| interval training, dramatically improved our | | | | your metabolism and burn extra calories for |
| energy and performance.Don't panic. I'm not | | | | 24 hours or longer.Fat loss is only one of |
| recruiting for the geriatric track team but | | | | the benefits. A new study by British |
| there is a law of nature at work here that | | | | researchers tracked 1,975 healthy men over |
| applies to the young or old, fit or fat. Our | | | | ten years. The men who exercised the hardest |
| Creator designed the human body with the | | | | had a 47% percent lower risk of death from |
| miraculous ability to adapt.Natalie, our | | | | all causes and a whopping 62% lower risk of |
| adopted granddaughter spent the first | | | | death from heart disease, compared with those |
| thirteen months of her life confined to a | | | | who reported very little or no intense |
| crib in a crowded, understaffed hospital in | | | | exercise. The best part however is that these |
| Siberia. Upon arriving in her new home in | | | | benefits were achieved with as little as nine |
| Dallas, Natalie immediately began to make up | | | | minutes per day of vigorous activity.The |
| for lost time. In a few short months she | | | | principle of adaptation also applies to |
| rushed from crawling to walking to sprinting | | | | strengthening your muscles, which need to be |
| like an Olympic gymnast.Natalie's Mom and Dad | | | | worked hard to become stronger. The average |
| will attest to the fact that her "normal" | | | | person loses up to 20 pounds of muscle by age |
| activity level accelerated from inactive to | | | | 70 and since each pound of muscle burns up to |
| an astounding high-energy dynamo.If you are a | | | | 50 calories per day it is easy to see why |
| couch potato (heaven forbid) or in the "as | | | | "love handles" and "spare tires" sneak up on |
| little as possible" exercise category you too | | | | us.Those who are on a low carb diet (I hate |
| can make dramatic progress in your physical | | | | the word diet) such as Dr. Atkins Diet or |
| condition by employing the interval training | | | | South Beach Diet your exercise has a distinct |
| concept. And it will take as little as three | | | | advantage over the low-fat dieters. Low |
| 29-minutes sessions per week.A Canadian study | | | | carbers have a limited amount of glycogen |
| followed exercisers who burned 300 to 400 | | | | (stored sugar) available and so the body |
| calories per session. A control group | | | | utilizes the fat on the belly, hips and other |
| matched the same routine one-third of the | | | | unwanted places as the primary sources of |
| time. Two thirds of the time they exercised | | | | energy during exercise.Think you're too old |
| for a shorter period during which they burned | | | | or out of shape to get started on "wind |
| only 225-250 calories-but they included | | | | sprints"? It's never too late to start |
| occasional 30-90 second bursts of | | | | feelin' great! |