A Quick Way to Fitness

My fitness routine has been pretty much nonexistent since getting pregnant with Rigby.  I never felt energetic or well enough during the pregnancy to do much more than walking.  And, even walking was painful if it wasn't slow enough.  And, now that I have two children who I have been at home with full-time since June, finding the time to build in regular exercise has been a bit of a challenge.

I savor the mornings when I can squeeze in a run.  Over Labor Day weekend, I was able to run around Green Lakealone and it was revitalizing.  It was also the only twenty-six minutes that I had spent without my boys since July!  So, time is precious to me these days.

With Jack finally starting Kindergarten, I am hoping to build in a regular exercise routine, but I will still need to find a routine that has the most impact in the smallest amount of time.  I also need to find something that I look forward to doing, or I will find multiple excuses not to.  A recent study led by Jens Bangsbo from University of Copenhagen in Denmark illustrated that a program they call 30-20-10 can not only make you faster, but can also improve your blood pressure and other markers of health.

The concept of 30-20-10 is to do cardiovascular exercise like running, biking, or rowing at a moderate pace for 30 seconds, a slightly more intense pace for 20 seconds, and a full out sprint for 10 seconds, repeating the cycle 5 times to produce one continuous 5 minute repeat.  The study suggests doing two cycles of the 5 minute repeat with a 1 minute warm-up and cool-down, totaling just 12 minutes of exercise.

I love this idea and know from prior race training experience that high intensity exercise makes a big impact.  What is so great about this particular approach to intense exercise is that the numbers are so easy and it only require a full out sprint for 10 seconds as compared to some programs that suggest 30 seconds or more.  I plan to start doing a few workouts like this each week...it will be interesting to see how it works with a running stroller!