Best time to exercise for better blood sugar control

 Credit: Getty Images

The Best Time of Day to Exercise to Help Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check, According to Science

 https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8011727/best-time-to-exercise-for-blood-sugar/

 

EXERCISING in the afternoon or evening may be better for blood sugar control than spreading activity throughout the day, research suggests.

A new study published in the journal Diabetologia found that exercising between noon and midnight could cut insulin resistance by up to a quarter.

Insulin resistance is when cells in the muscles, fat and liver struggle to respond to insulin and cannot easily take up glucose from the blood.

This results in the pancreas making more insulin to help the glucose enter cells.

Blood glucose stays in the healthy range as long as the pancreas can make enough insulin to overcome the cells’ weak response, but sometimes the glucose levels rise too high and sugar stays in the bloodstream.

This can lead to pre-diabetes (the stage before diabetes is diagnosed) or diabetes.

The new study was carried out by Dr Jeroen van der Velde and colleagues at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.

Previous studies have demonstrated that exercise is linked to better sensitivity to insulin, thereby cutting the risk of developing diabetes.

The team used data from the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, which included men and women aged between 45 and 65 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or more (putting them in the overweight or obese category).

A separate group of people were used as a control group, meaning the overall study included 6,671 people. Those taking part underwent a physical examination during which blood samples were taken to measure blood glucose and insulin levels when people were fasting and after eating.

People were also asked about their lifestyles and some were randomly selected to have their liver fat content measured using MRI scans.

A random group of 955 people were also given a combined accelerometer and heart rate monitor to wear for four consecutive days and nights to monitor movement and activity levels.

Some 775 people with complete data were included in an analysis.

The results showed that spending time on moderate to vigorous physical activity reduced liver fat content and also reduced insulin resistance.

Doing exercise in the afternoon or evening was linked to reduced insulin resistance, by 18% and 25% respectively, compared to an even distribution of activity throughout the day.

There was no significant difference in insulin resistance between morning activity and activity spread evenly over the day, the study found.

The researchers concluded: “These results suggest that timing of physical activity throughout the day is relevant for the beneficial effects of physical activity on insulin sensitivity.

“Further studies should assess whether timing of physical activity is indeed important for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes.” -    dpa

 

Related:

Strike Out Stroke | NIH News in Health

 

 

Related posts:

 

Not the best for weight

 Although BMI is widely used as a measure of weight, it is not very accurate and can lead to the mistreatment of obesity and eating disorde...

 

STROKE EXERCISES FOR YOUR BODY; Recognising the warning signs of stroke; Caring for a stroke survivor

 

 

Vital to control blood pressure now

  

Dr Khan Show 4 Tricks to Lower Blood Pressure | How to Control Blood Pressure Fast!

 1 - Carotid Massage 2- Valsalva Maneuver 3- Breathing Technique 4 - Dive Reflex 

 MALAYSIA recorded 6,976 new Covid-19 cases on May 23, the highest number of daily cases reported since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The number of Covid-19 deaths and severe cases that require intensive care has also increased tremendously.

According to Health Ministry statistics, from May 1 to 21, Malaysia lost 643 people, close to one-third of all Covid-19 deaths in the country since the pandemic started. Within the same period, patients admitted to ICUs increased by 91% (from 337 to 643) and patients requiring ventilation support doubled from 176 to 363.

Covid-19 has negatively impacted the care of patients with noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common pre-existing medical condition among Covid-19 patients globally as well as in Malaysia. Patients with hypertension are 95% more likely to require ICU admission and 160% more likely to succumb to the disease. A local study reported that 49% of patients with the severe form of Covid-19 had hypertension, compared with 13% among mild cases. The high prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia – three in every 10 adults have it – means that a substantial proportion of our adult population is at risk.

Adherence to and compliance with medication is crucial. Stop-ping antihypertensive medications could lead to poor blood pressure control, which in turn can result in adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. All these are linked to poor Covid-19 outcomes.

In addition, once the virus enters the body, it could lead to overactivation of the immune system resulting in a cytokine storm, further burdening a cardiovascular and respiratory system that is already in a suboptimal state. This probably explains why hypertension is the most common comorbidity among Covid-19 patients, especially among those who experience the severe version of the disease.

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure (below 140/90mmHg for systolic and diastolic respectively) is important. Take these steps to control your blood pressure:

> Know your blood pressure levels. Monitor them regularly. This is important to see whether efforts to control the pressure are sufficient or should be improved.

> Limit salt intake in your diet according to daily recommendations. This can be achieved by carefully inspecting food labels for salt and sodium content, avoiding preserved and processed foods, and replacing salt with herbs and spices in cooking.

> Keep your body weight within the normal range. For overweight people, weight loss of 3% to 9% from current body weight has been shown to reduce blood pressure readings by 3mmHg to 6mmHg.

> Exercise consistently. Regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking and jogging, for at least 150 minutes a week is recommended as it is beneficial for the cardiovascular system and can help lower blood pressure.

> Quit smoking and avoid alcohol intake as both activities have been shown to increase blood pressure.

> Keep taking your current medications and continue to go for follow-up appointments if you are hypertensive. Be assured that the medications are safe. Do not hesitate to contact your doctor if you are in doubt about your blood pressure control or medications.

Apart from all this, hypertensive patients must seriously follow the current Covid-19 SOP and make every effort to protect yourselves from contracting the disease.

DR NOR AFIQAH NORDIN, DR ANG SWEE HUNG, PROF DR MOY FOONG MING & PROF DR NORAN NAQIAH HAIRI Public Health Department, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)

Source link

 

Related News

. 

Letters .

Do you have high blood pressure?

.

Going vegetarian could help with high blood pressure

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor personal exercise allowed under tighter MCO

 

Related post:

 

How To Do Ujjayi Breath Pranayama Exercises for relaxation & quality of your life

Wheelchairs

Self-Driving Wheelchairs Debut in Hospitals and Airports

https://youtu.be/pRo8FnS2XfY

Self-Driving Wheelchairs Debut in Hospitals and Airports 

The autonomous vehicles sense positions, select routes, and stop for obstacles

SMART scores another first with Singapore's self-driving wheelchair that has been piloted at a hospital

Autonomous vehicles can add a new member to their ranks—the self-driving wheelchair. This summer, two robotic wheelchairs made headlines: one at a Singaporean hospital and another at a Japanese airport.

The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, or SMART, developed the former, first deployed in Singapore’s Changi General Hospital in September 2016, where it successfully navigated the hospital’s hallways. It is the latest in a string of autonomous vehicles made by SMART, including a golf cart, electric taxi and, most recently, a scooter that zipped more than 100 MIT visitors around on tours in 2016.

The SMART self-driving wheelchair has been in development for about a year and a half, since January 2016, says Daniela Rus, director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and a principal investigator in the SMART Future Urban Mobility research group. Today, SMART has two wheelchairs in Singapore and two wheelchairs at MIT being tested in a variety of settings, says Rus.

The robot’s computer uses data from three lidars to make a map. A localization algorithm then determines where it is in the map. The chair’s six wheels lend stability, and the chair is designed to make tight turns and fit through normal-sized doorframes. “When we visited several retirement communities, we realized that the quality of life is dependent on mobility. We want to make it really easy for people to move around,” said Rus in a recent MIT statement.

A second autonomous wheelchair recently premiered at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, designed by Panasonic and Whill, Inc., creator of the Model A Whill wheelchair, a sleek, hi-tech wheelchair now on the market in Japan and the United States.

According to a recent press release, Panasonic is planning to conduct technical trials of the WHILL NEXT this year. Like the SMART wheelchair, the WHILL NEXT uses sensors to detect nearby obstacles. It also employs automation technology developed for Panasonic’s autonomous (and adorable) hospital delivery robot, HOSPI. The wheelchair identifies its position, selects routes, and moves to a chosen destination based on a user’s input into a smartphone app. It can even be hailed with the app – the Uber of wheelchairs.

The WHILL NEXT is also able to sync up with nearby wheelchairs to travel in a column, which is useful for a family or a group, the company notes. Best of all, each wheelchair automatically returns to its home base, reducing the need for airport staff to collect the chairs.

Beyond use in hospitals and airports, the SMART team says they envision a connected autonomous mobility system, where a user could use a scooter or wheelchair indoors at an office, zip outside and pick up a golf cart to cross the parking lot, and slip into an autonomous car to drive home. Recent studies with the scooter suggest the control algorithms work indoors as well as out, according to a press release last year. “The autonomous wheelchair could be very useful in any pedestrian environmen—including hospitals and airports —and we are exploring all these possibilities,” Rus tells IEEE Spectrum.

Yet the field faces the challenge of commercialization. Not all hi-tech wheelchairs have sold well, such as Dean Kamen’s stair-climbing iBot, whose $25,000 price tag was one reason the device was discontinued in 2009. But hopefully the next generation of wheelchairs won’t be as expensive, says Rus. “The system consists of an off-the-shelf wheelchair augmented with an autonomy package. We hope the price point of the autonomy package can come down to make the system affordable.”

“A version of this post appears in the October 2017 print issue as “Lidar-Equipped Autonomous Wheelchairs Roll Out in Singapore and Japan.”

See wheelchair  

See manual Self‑Driving Wheelchairs

See travel wheelchairs lightweight

See product: hospitaltech wheel chair travel lightwei...

Hospitech Standard Wheelchair | Shopee Malaysia

 See wheelchair exercise

 10 minutes wheelchair arm workout | Move with MS - https://youtu.be/EVQcgYQyzz0

Hospitech Standard Wheelchair | Shopee Malaysia

https://shopee.com.my/Standard-Wheelchair-chrome-body-i.26974048.596973352

 https://shopee.com.my/Hospitech-Standard-Wheelchair-i.125584805.1909627487

Standard Wheelchair chrome body | Shopee Malaysia

Wheel Chair Wheelchair Hospital Standard with Sport Rim Kerusi Roda 轮椅
https://shopee.com.my/Wheel-Chair-Wheelchair-Hospital-Standard-with-Sport-Rim-Kerusi-Roda-%E8%BD%AE%E6%A4%85-i.173717073.4519051381

See product: hospitaltech wheel chair travel lightwei...

Aluminium Super Lightweight Foldable Wheel Chair Transit Wheelchair

https://shopee.com.my/Aluminium-Super-Lightweight-Foldable-Wheel-Chair-Transit-Wheelchair-i.28118029.1878999396?gclid=CjwKCAjwh472BRAGEiwAvHVfGsrofbsg3Q3mlrxqFg0D2YKKXmPrDKaPIwbvIdWpPwKRL1r6lFiJ-BoCSA8QAvD_BwE

Related posts :

• 

  COVID-19's neurological symptoms; the next hotspots; COVID modelling

  COVID-19 can affect the brain. How it happens and what to watch for. ⇒ Explore: COVID-19 ...
• 

  Recognition and Management of Stroke

  https://youtu.be/ifTYwME0bqQ Icahn School of Medicine 12.7K subscribers A Department of Cardiovascular Surgery...

Scientists Finally Discover How the Obesity Gene Works

Scientists have finally figured out how the key gene tied to obesity makes people fat, a major discovery that could open the door to an entirely new approach to the problem beyond diet and exercise.

The work solves a big mystery: Since 2007, researchers have known that a gene called FTO was related to obesity, but they didn’t know how, and could not tie it to appetite or other known factors.

Now experiments reveal that a faulty version of the gene causes energy from food to be stored as fat rather than burned. Genetic tinkering in mice and on human cells in the lab suggests this can be reversed, giving hope that a drug or other treatment might be developed to do the same in people.

The work was led by scientists at MIT and Harvard University and published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The discovery challenges the notion that “when people get obese it was basically their own choice because they choose to eat too much or not exercise,” said study leader Melina Claussnitzer, a genetics specialist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “For the first time, genetics has revealed a mechanism in obesity that was not really suspected before” and gives a third explanation or factor that’s involved.

Independent experts praised the discovery.

“It’s a big deal,” said Dr. Clifford Rosen, a scientist at Maine Medical Center Research Institute and an associate editor at the medical journal.

“A lot of people think the obesity epidemic is all about eating too much,” but our fat cells play a role in how food gets used, he said. With this discovery, “you now have a pathway for drugs that can make those fat cells work differently.”

Several obesity drugs are already on the market, but they are generally used for short-term weight loss and are aimed at the brain and appetite; they don’t directly target metabolism.

Researchers can’t guess how long it might take before a drug based on the new findings becomes available. But it’s unlikely it would be a magic pill that would enable people to eat anything they want without packing on the pounds. And targeting this fat pathway could affect other things, so a treatment would need rigorous testing to prove safe and effective.

The gene glitch doesn’t explain all obesity. It was found in 44 percent of Europeans but only 5 percent of blacks, so other genes clearly are at work, and food and exercise still matter.

Having the glitch doesn’t destine you to become obese but may predispose you to it. People with two faulty copies of the gene (one from Mom and one from Dad) weighed an average of 7 pounds more than those without them. But some were obviously a lot heavier than that, and even 7 pounds can be the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy weight, said Manolis Kellis, a professor at MIT.

Related: More U.S. Adults Are Now Obese than Overweight

He and Claussnitzer are seeking a patent related to the work. It was done on people in Europe, Sweden and Norway, and funded by the German Research Center for Environmental Health and others, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Researchers can’t guess how long it might take before a drug based on the new findings becomes available. But it’s unlikely it would be a magic pill that would enable people to eat anything they want without packing on the pounds. And targeting this fat pathway could affect other things, so a treatment would need rigorous testing to prove safe and effective.

The gene glitch doesn’t explain all obesity. It was found in 44 percent of Europeans but only 5 percent of blacks, so other genes clearly are at work, and food and exercise still matter.

Having the glitch doesn’t destine you to become obese but may predispose you to it. People with two faulty copies of the gene (one from Mom and one from Dad) weighed an average of 7 pounds more than those without them. But some were obviously a lot heavier than that, and even 7 pounds can be the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy weight, said Manolis Kellis, a professor at MIT.

Related: ‘Healthy Obesity’ Turns Unhealthy Over Time

He and Claussnitzer are seeking a patent related to the work. It was done on people in Europe, Sweden and Norway, and funded by the German Research Center for Environmental Health and others, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

“It’s a potential target” for drug development, said Dr. Sam Klein, an obesity researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. He called the work “an amazing study” and “a scientific tour de force.”

Dr. Rudolph Leibel, an obesity expert at Columbia University in New York, used the same term — “tour de force.” Still, some earlier research suggests the FTO gene may influence other aspects of obesity such as behavior and appetite.

“It’s possible there are several mechanisms being affected,” and that fat-burning is not the whole story, he said.

Read This Next: There Are 6 Types Of Obesity — And Each Should Be Treated Differently

- Associated Press

ageLOC You-SPAN

Attachments area: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?ui=2&ik=197aaec78c&view=att&th=14f4a40670db8c26&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw 

Preview attachment YouSPANDr.Angela.pdf

YouSPANDr.Angela.pdf

5.4 MB

Exclusive ‪#‎GeneBaseTechnology‬ ‪#‎AntiAging‬ ‪#‎AgeLocYouSpan‬ coming‪#‎September‬ ‪#‎LTO‬.

HOW SCIENTIFIC IS THE SCIENTIFIC SEVEN MINUTE WORKOUT?

A couple of years ago the New York Times wrote about a game changing workout that would get you fit in only seven minutes. Yes, rather than endure 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most if not all days of the week, seven minutes every now and then was suddenly enough to cure that heart disease of yours. The strange thing was that the New York Times, a relatively reliable source, had claimed that the workout was scientific.

This contradicted everything I learnt during my seven years at university. Therefore, today I ask in an outraged, yet concerned voice: is the scientific seven minute workout actually scientific?

Why it might be scientific:

Well the seven minute workout was first brought to the light in an article in a scientific, scholarly journal in 2013. For those of you who don’t know, this is basically a book full of studies and scientific articles that nerds who like exercise read – I am one of these nerds. The article did a review of the scientific studies to date on high intensity interval workouts. At the end it outlined an extremely high intensity, bodyweight exercise regime that could potentially lead to results equivalent to hours of endurance and resistance training combined, based on said studies. This is all good, well and even awesome, but there are a couple of barriers before we can call the seven minute workout truly scientific.


The first is that the studies referenced in this article utilised high intensity training of longer durations. Essentially meaning there is no evidence from this article that seven minutes is long enough for a workout.

The second is that the authors of the article advocate performing the article two to three times, suggesting even they’re not sure whether seven minutes is enough.

The third and perhaps the final, is that they did not directly test the effects of their seven minute workout and workouts that only used a bodyweight circuit. That was until now……


Is it actually scientific?

Yes, the year of 2015 brought the first, and as far as I’m aware, only study directly assessing the effects of the seven minute workout. Nervous? I am.

The study had 96 university students, for eight weeks, perform either: 1. Their normal exercise regime; 2. Seven minute circuit workouts; 3. Four weeks of seven and four weeks of 14 minute workouts.

Improved muscular endurance (number of push-ups) in both the seven and 14 minute group was observed compared to the normal exercise group. The same was true for strength, but only in male participants. Finally, aerobic fitness was also assessed, but only found to have been increased in women in the 14 minute circuit training group.


Is it healthful?

The scientific seven minute workout is slightly healthful. Well, it’s probably better than doing nothing. It will likely improve your muscular endurance and perhaps strength – depending on what sex you are; however, it may not be enough to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance. Further, there are many other variables that exercise alters, that have not been assessed.

Based on the the paper I brought up initially, high intensity workouts of longer duration appear very effective, but to date there is no proof seven minutes is enough.

I hope this has been healthful! 

Isithealthful

I hold a Doctor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Exercise Science and am a qualified personal trainer. I have extensive clinical and research experience and a strong passion for all things health. This has driven me to write the blog: Is it healthful, in order to analyse sound scientific research to determine if a product, service or intervention is healthful, or simply a waste of money or time.

Science on why living near trees might improve your health!

Short ‘n’ healthful:

Recently I purchased a property in what can only be described as a tree lined street. Yes, I was finally living the the great Australian dream. Unfortunately not all shared my view.

In fact since this purchase, many have ridiculed me for buying close to, if not at the top of the market. Well, ridiculers it now appears the ridicule is on you. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a new study has found that living on a block with more trees is the cat’s pyjamas for your health.


The study:

The study I refer to was conducted in the fine city of Toronto. The researchers looked at the density of trees in certain areas of the city and then had a look at health outcomes. It was found that living in a tree lined street was associated with fewer cardiometabolic diseases and perceived better health. Perceived better health is important as it is linked with later death and fewer illnesses, while not having a cardiometabolic disease is great for many obvious reasons. I should note that the study controlled for education level, income and age, meaning it was likely the tree lined street associated with the improved health rather than the aforesaid factors.



How many trees does my street need?

Interestingly, the study found the exact number of trees required to improve health. Ten trees or more in a block was found to improve overall health as much as earning $10,000 more a year would, or being a whooping seven years younger. If we look at cardiometabolic conditions specifically, having eleven trees or more in a block had a similar effect to having an extra $20,000 in annual income or being 1.5 years younger.



Why might it be good to live near trees?

Well, firstly it could just be an anomaly. Studies – ridiculous ones – have found an association between high increase consumption and a high murder rate. I can’t remember the last time I went on a murderous rage after eating some Ben and Jerry’s. Therefore, to say the results are certain, you really need to plant some trees in someone’s street and then analyse the effects on health.

Alternatively, it may be the physical result of reduced carbon dioxide or more oxygen being delivered by the tree. Or it could even be that the being around some nice looking trees then indirectly translates to improved health.

Is it healthful?

Based on some fairly weak, albeit interesting research, living near trees appears slightly healthful. To my friends who ridiculed me, look who’s laughing now – I’m officially seven years younger.

I hope this has been healthful. Your thoughts? Are you about to lobby your local council for a few extra pines.

I hope this has been healthful!

Isithealthful

I hold a Doctor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Exercise Science and am a qualified personal trainer. I have extensive clinical and research experience and a strong passion for all things health. This has driven me to write the blog: Is it healthful, in order to analyse sound scientific research to determine if a product, service or intervention is healthful, or simply a waste of money or time.

Happy and healthy, not hunky

 

Blame it on the beefcake: In this scene from Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) is instantaneously turned from dweeby nothing to hero hunk with a fictional serum. Photo: Filepic

Personal fitness coach Jeremy Ng (right) and the writer before the intense workouts began. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli

Workouts involve a lot of work

I blame it on Captain America.

Or rather, that one particular scene of Captain America: The First Avenger in which a skinny guy transforms into a hunk of a hero.

After being rejected by the military, Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) volunteers to be injected by a “super soldier” serum. Before you can say “Put on a shirt!”, he turns into a muscular superhero that sends women swooning and villains cowering. Since a serum of that kind is not available – and steroids is a definite no-no – the next best thing for me was to hit the gym.

With our boss issuing the Star2 Monthly Challenge, I figured I would embrace this as my fitness challenge. Within a month, I would transform my puny self into a beefcake.

To guide me on this quest, I even found the perfect person: personal fitness coach Jeremy Ng.

With over a decade in the finess industry, Ng is founder of PFC (Personal Fitness Coach) Studio. Located in Plaza Damas, Kuala Lumpur, PFC Studio is also Under Armour’s sponsored studio, specialising in fitness education, personal training and sport performance training.

From the moment we met, Ng and I hit it off. He is amicable but when the situation calls for it, he will push you for those extra push-ups. And he is a master at Power Plate (a brand of vibrating platform), which is my favourite exercise equipment.

According to Ng, the greatest satisfaction from his job is seeing his clients’ transformation. “I used to work with a woman who had Parkinson’s. In the beginning, she couldn’t walk on the treadmill but after six months of training, she was able to run for 15 minutes continuously,” he said.

“Personal trainers offer more than just bodily transformation,” enthused Ng. “They also offer health and lifestyle improvements – things that are important to society today.” With such a gung-ho mentality blended with a zen personality, what’s not to like about this guy?

The challenge

After taking my body measurements, Ng noticed that I had muscle imbalance, more specifically my right hip and left shoulder were (gasp!) not proportionate. Throughout the one month – we trained two to three times a week – he worked on fixing that issue and getting my body toned overall.

The first couple of sessions were tough, I will not lie. I was panting and cursing under my breath throughout the workout, and the following morning, my body ached in places I didn’t know existed. (Not being a spring chicken anymore didn’t help.)

Fast forward to 30 days later, and I still didn’t have Chris Evans’ body. By then, I realised one month was too unrealistic to achieve that goal. To see drastic results, one has to workout more frequently (up to five times a week), and watch his diet (which I’m hopeless at).

But I’m glad to report that my posture has improved, and exercising made me less lethargic. Best of all, my programme with Ng made me look forward to workouts – something I used to dislike.

So, instead of a one month challenge, I have converted it into (hopefully) a lifelong one, and I have signed up to be one of Ng’s clients.

As I celebrate my 41st birthday (in a fortnight!), I have come to the realisation that I have to take better care of myself. At this point in my life, I’d settle on being healthy – and happy – over hunky anytime.

By William KC Kee  - William aims to focus more on fitness, and less on fried chicken and Ramly burgers. Send feedback (and encouragement) to star2@thestar.com.my

Related:

Rightways: Weights and protein: Are protein supplements really the ... Jun 15, 2015 ... Protein shakes have divided nations! Some will be critical of the singlet toting gym junky's protein shaker and others will feel inspired to

Science on high intensity interval training: HIIT, or SHIIT?

Let me pose you a question: would you rather go down to the video store (if it hasn’t yet gone bankrupt) to hire a DVD, or stream it from the comfort of your own home? You’ve probably answered: the comfort of your own home, unless of course you get all nostalgic about walking down the street to hire discs. I know I do!

Okay, okay, now let me pose you a further question: would you rather spend one hour exercising, or 30 minutes? Stop, don’t answer that just yet. What if I were to say that both workouts would give you equivalent results? Unless you’re a time wasting enthusiast, pain junky, or DOMS devotee you’re probably going to answer 30 minutes. Well a new (old) exercise regiment known as high intensity interval training (HIIT) is offering just that.

Yes, if you believe one of the internet’s many great fitness prophets, then you will be aware that HIIT is the shit! Slow endurance training is the DVD for hire and HIIT is Netflix, which is of course, the shit. So is HIIT truly the shit, or should you beware of false fitness prophets?

What is HIIT?

Before I answer your previous question. What is HIIT? Simply put, HIIT involves performing intervals of highly intense exercise followed by either complete rest, or low intensity exercise. The high intensity-low intensity combination seems to be the more popular of the two currently.

How about an example? Sure, here’s one. Let’s say running is your game. Your HIIT may involve a ratio of a one minute sprint, to 45 seconds of slow jogging, repeated for a total of 15 minutes. It certainly doesn’t have to follow this exact ratio, or duration and these variables change greatly from protocol to protocol, that was simply an example. I should note, however, that scientific data to date has found minimal difference between different interval ratios thus far (9).




Why HIIT might be the shit?

HIIT is proposed to lead to multiple complex physiological changes to the skeletal muscle system that promote fat burning efficiency and preference, and more efficient oxygen utilisation. In turn, this is proposed to: make you skinnier, fitter and it will likely give you the ability to fly! But probably not the last one.

Science and HIIT (SHIIT):

Of course theory means little unless it translates to real world, real life changes. So, does it? Spoiler, it generally does.

Aerobic health:

A review paper analysing studies on individuals suffering from various different lifestyle diseases found HIIT to be effective. Specifically, cardiovascular fitness, as measured by Vo2 max, was 9% higher when individuals performed HIIT as opposed to moderate intensity continuous exercise (1). Another large scale review paper on scientific studies to date found HIIT to improve: aerobic fitness level more so than normal, moderate intensity exercise in both sedentary and active individuals. But it was only as effective as continuous exercise training in athletic persons (2). If that wasn’t enough science for you, a third study found HIIT to improve aerobic fitness as well as moderate intensity continuous exercise in a relatively fit group of people (3). This basically tells us that the lower your fitness level is, the better you will respond to HIIT and if you only want to do one sort of training, HIIT will be more effective than continuous training for aerobic fitness. Conversely, if you’re really fit and only want to do one form of exercise, then HIIT is as good as continuous moderate intensity exercise for aerobic fitness.

Muscles, muscles, muscles:

What about those muscles? Can you skip the separate weight sessions and do an all in one HIIT session? Well, the scientific data is very limited on this. But the one study that does exist on this topic, found that when having an active rest period was compared to having complete rest, complete rest won. Yes, complete rest led to greater work output, which in turn would likely mean improved: muscle mass, strength, power, looking shredded bro (4)! This makes sense and says that resistance training HIIT will likely provide you with some nice adaptations, but not as good as traditional weight training where proper rest between sets is taken.

Weight loss:

What about weight loss then? The data ain’t crystal clear on this. One study found HIIT boxing was better than continuous brisk walking at improving body fat percentage (5). Another study found participants had a decreased waist circumference following HIIT, but not following moderate intensity continuous exercise (6). Yet, in complete contrast, continuous moderate intensity exercise was found to decrease trunk fat more so than HIIT in another study (7). All in all, the science isn’t certain on whether HIIT or continuous training is best for weight loss. But if you base your workout on the number of calories you’re burning, based on average heart rate or a similar method, then you should be no worse off than performing continuous exercise, as average heart rate tends to be higher for HIIT and stays elevated for longer following exercise.

Adherence:

If HIIT is quicker to do, then you’d think people would do it more and stick to it. And they do! High intensity interval training led to a greater level of adherence (89% vs 71%) than moderate intensity continuous training (8). Grouse!

Is it healthful? 

Ladies and gentlemen, HIIT is the shit! Or at least it is pretty darn good and very relevant to our time-centric society:

• HIIT is likely as good as endurance exercise for aerobic fitness and if you’re of a low fitness level it’s probably better.
  
  
•  Resistance training HIIT won’t get you as ripped as traditional resistance training with structured rest periods. But it’s probably not a great deal worse.
  
  
• HIIT will lead to at least equivalent weight loss to continuous moderate intensity exercise in a shorter period of time, likely due to an elevated average heart rate.
  
  
• HIIT generally leads to higher adherence, so you’re more likely to stick with it.

Our verdict :Highly healthfull. If you’re time poor and unfit, HIIT’s the most effective way to turn things around. Although if time is less of a factor and you really want to optimise your health you should combine HIIT, anaerobic exercise and aerobic exercise as part of a proper periodised program. Especially, if you have sport related goals.

I hope this has been healthful!

Isithealthful

I hold a Doctor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Exercise Science and am a qualified personal trainer. I have extensive clinical and research experience and a strong passion for all things health. This has driven me to write the blog: Is it healthful, in order to analyse sound scientific research to determine if a product, service or intervention is healthful, or simply a waste of money or time.