How to Focus on Fitness

January brings an exciting time of setting goals and starting new routines, but is anyone really thinking about their New Year's resolution health kick by the time May roles around? Well, we’re back to the beginning of the year and although the January Warriors at the gym may have started strong, a couple months later and early mornings at the gym are already less crowded. Here are some tips to stay in line with your health and fitness goals all year.

Start Small

Training logs provide a great place to track your goals and hold yourself accountable. The Believe I Am training books are the best I have found. They also offer logs specifically for runners if (like me) running is your kind of exercise. Image courtesy of Believe I Am

It’s easy to set big, long term goals. I want to lose X amount of weight. I want to do X every day. I want to be healthier. I want to be fit. While it is certainly important to have long-term goals, remember that a lot of small events must occur to achieve large goals. Additionally, achieving small goals provides a sense of accomplishment once completed and acts as a tangible way to quantify progress. So let’s start small. Say your end goal is to be more mindful this year. Start with a small goal of meditating for 10 minutes three days this week. Then the next week bump it up to four days. Then five, so on, until it becomes a part of your every day routine.

You may be familiar with the idea that it takes 21 days to form a good habit, and while that may be true for simple tasks such as drinking a glass of water after breakfast every day, more difficult goals such as exercising every day take much longer—up to 225 days—until they become habitual. Have patience; it certainly is not going to be rainbows and sunshine trying to form a new habit, but beginning with weekly or daily goals provides an attainable starting point. As ridiculous as it may sound, a good goal to start with is to set aside time to establish your daily/weekly goals. Write down your goals and hold yourself accountable. Make it your goal to keep making goals, then go out and start tackling them!

Find an Accountability Partner

(Or Someone to go to Workout With)

This piece of advice may not help everyone, but if you struggle with motivation or feel like you don’t fit in at the gym, having someone to workout with can be crucial. The gym can be a scary place—all those football guys with biceps the size of your thigh making grunting noises. Or that girl who could squat your bodyweight, yeah, no thank you. I’m here to tell you do not be scared! The gym is a place where the majority of people could care less about what you are doing and are focused on their own workout. Still, it can take time to build up confidence in using equipment or navigating around said sweaty, jacked men.

Exercising with friends can grow your comfort in the gym and place accountability on getting out the door. Can’t find a friend, then make some at the gym by signing up for a class. Group classes also offer an opportunity to exercise in an environment that will push you and keep you accountable. Join a beginner class and try something new like yoga or kickboxing. Don’t have access to a gym? Workout buddies are even better for gym-free exercise. Go on a run or do a bodyweight workout and have a partner to work together with in order to finish the workout. 

Staying Motivated While Alone

Nike Training Club App

Image courtesy of alternativeTo

This is the hard one. Everyone has different intrinsic motivations and pinpointing how to channel this motivation to form lasting habits can take time. In terms of fitness, I highly recommend the Nike Training Club (NTC) app, a free application full of workouts. The application offers a variety of workouts and includes video demonstrations for every exercise in each workout. You can sort through workouts of varying lengths, difficulties, and equipment usage. A majority of workouts require no equipment and provide great ideas for exercises to do at home. After downloading a workout, it’s as easy as pressing “play” and the application will time the workout, give motivational prompts, and keep you moving. The application also has yoga workouts of varying difficulties, meaning some of their yoga routines may be a nice relaxing way to start or end the day while others will put your body to work. If you enjoy running or want to give it a try, Nike also has the Nike Run Club application which includes commentated runs from Olympians such as Shalane Flanagan. Start the app and let the professionals walk you through running techniques for your body and mind.

Aside from applications, go back to small goal setting. Say you want to work on core strength; make a goal to do eight minutes of core work three days this week. Then up it until you do the routine every day. Then make it a goal to do 10 minutes of core work three out of seven days, until you’ve upped the time to 10 minutes every day. Of course this is only one possible example, but setting small goals allows you to actually achieve them until what was hard becomes easy and habitual. From there you can look back at your progress and see the actuation of a larger goal.

Freshmen Fifteen Who?

Coming from Texas to Chicago, there were a lot of things I had to worry about–whether I would like the city, whether I would have to explain to multiple people and multiple occasions that, “No, I didn’t ride horses on a daily basis,” and whether I would be able to fit all my shoes in one suitcase because who knew airlines charged for “extra luggage” (even for something as necessary as shoes!). But other than completely stressing out over just existing in such a new city and trying to figure what exactly my calculus teacher is trying to tell me about delta being epsilon, there is one thing I have been very aware of–the “freshmen 15.” That daunting, ever present warning you get from students of the before time about just how bad their eating habits were and just how consequential that became. Well, speaking from my four-week experience as a student here, this what I’ve gathered:

1. The freshmen fifteen is definitely real

You might not be feeling it now (I know I didn’t) but those two plates of fries you had for dinner will certainly catch up with. The effects are not instant, in most cases, but without proper exercise and physical activity, you might feel your body becoming more sluggish and, for a lot of people, acne becomes a very real struggle.

2. You don’t really have to change much of what you’re eating

So, take it from someone who has a literal addiction to fries, IT GETS REALLY HARD TO STOP YOURSELF. I’ve had instances when I could’ve gotten a salad or chicken, but I’ve opted out for a bowl of fries and some juice–I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. But, my motto is it’s all about moderation. Some people hear that and they’re like “yeah, yeah whatever, tell me something I don’t know,” but it’s actually possible to eat whatever you want (within reason) and maintain whatever standard weight figure you have in mind. I’ve been doing it for a while now and it seems to be working fine and it’s just a mind game you have to play. If you had an OMG bad for you lunch (pizza and fries anyone?) go for a salad with light dressing and a side of chicken, or tofu (yay protein!). If you’re feeling a little sluggish, go for a light walk/run and get your blood pumping. It’s all a matter of just changing small things in your daily routine so they can in turn, help change your lifestyle for the better.

3. It’s really about LOVING YOURSELF!

It’s not all about being skinny or trying to get to that perfect size 2 figure (but if that’s what you want, I support you too!). It’s more about feeling healthy in your own skin. The fact that you were worried about the freshmen fifteen so much that you decided to continue to read my post (which I greatly appreciate!) means that you care about your body enough to keep it healthy and happy and that’s all I’m really asking for.

I hope there was much gained and nothing lost from going on this spiel with me! Goodbye for now!

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SoulCycle: Cycling to Your Beat

Imagine this: a quivering sensation through your legs, a pulsing in your arms, and a curling through into a smile on your face-the sweat rolling off your forehead as you look into the dimly-lit mirror with pride. In a session of SoulCycle, anticipate all this and more as you feel sore in new muscles you didn’t even know you had.

Founded in 2006 on the Upper West Side of New York, SoulCycle offers an innovative and exciting way to break a sweat. Through one hour indoor cycling-aka “spinning”-classes, SoulCycle has created a fun new way to bike, while creating a brand of its own.

Co-founders Elizabeth Cutler, Julie Rice, and Ruth Zukerman self-funded their project, with a large amount coming from Cutler's investment in Izze Beverage Co. With Villency Design Group’s signature SoulCycle stationary bicycle design made to relieve discomfort in traditional bicycle seats, participates are able to smoothly transition between cycling, weight lifting, and resting throughout their session.

To get a glimpse of the SoulCycle phenomenon, I decided to join the movement myself. Going with my roommate, we signed up for an 8:30 am class with Instructor Naz in the Chicago Loop location. Approaching the building, I could see the neon “soulcycle” sign almost blinding my eyes. Once signing in and grabbing my fitted SoulCycle clip on shoes, I arrived at a locker, grabbed what I needed and proceeded to join the class. As soon as an employee helped me lock into my bike and set up my seat, I knew it was starting. The variety in music, ranging from Jay-Z’s "Run this Town" (Onderkoffer Trap Remix) to Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” was an interesting mix, engaging me from the peak of the workout to the cool down period.

From lifting yourself off the bike (a majority of the workout) to using light weights to work out your arms, this 45 minute session definitely woke me up and invigorated my spirit. Celebrities from the likes of Selena Gomez to David Beckham have turned to the SoulCycle craze and found a way to cycle to their own beat. Trust me when I say I could feel it in my legs and arms a few days after (but mostly what I felt was a sense of pride!).

Me and my roommate after our class!

To learn more about SoulCycle and how to get involved, visit their website (your first class if only $20)!

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Look Like a Beauty, Train like a Ballerina

You've attended a yoga class to gawk at a hot instructor more often than you'd care to admit and you've nearly fallen off a bike (but not thanks to those devilish little grips) trying to bounce along to the club music in the dark. The latest trendy fitness class has more artistic roots: barre class. Drawing inspiration from ballerina workouts, barre is a low intensity (but don't mistake that for low effort) workout that targets muscles through very small, controlled movements. Like ballet, it only looks easy. Offered twice a week in Ratner's dance studio, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 - 5:20, barre is a new class on offer for free from the University. The class is open to all levels and no ballet or barre experience whatsoever is needed.

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While there is a short arm routine involving light (whatever that means to you, but probably lighter than you think) weights, the emphasis is on the glutes and quads. So that means squats. Lots and lots of squats in all variations. Deep chair squats, wide leg plié squats, pulsing in a squat on your tiptoes - all of those and more. The emphasis is on keeping movements small and controlled to really target underused muscles (inner thighs, obliques, glutes). Sounds easy. In reality you work up a good sweat as your inner thighs start to quiver.

The music is upbeat without being club bangers. On recent rotation: Sia's "Cheap Thrills", Janelle Monae's "Electric Lady", Paramore's "Ain't It Fun" and DJ Snake's "Get Low". The instructor is easy-going and friendly, demonstrating the moves in the middle of the room and counting out the beat for exercises. Unlike traditional barre classes, the use of free weights means that lightweight gym shoes are recommended as well as comfortable clothing.

Bored of your go-to workout or just eager to try something new? Check out the new barre class at Ratner. And for the really ambitious like this writer, dash to Crown afterwards to bask (and sweat some more) in Cruz's zumba glow! Just don't forget a water bottle, you'll regret it otherwise.

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What is your favorite fitness trend? Let us know in the comments below!

Beyoncé x Ivy Park

Singer, songwriter, producer, actress, goddess... fashion designer? Queen Bey herself launched her new athleisure line Ivy Park to rave reviews last week. The debut of the 200-piece collection was eagerly anticipated by BeyHive fans around the world and will be sold exclusively at Topshop, Selfridges, Net a Porter, and JD Sports.

In typical Beyoncé fashion, a moody, introspective campaign video was released before the collections hit stores, featuring a diverse cast of models sweating alongside the Queen through various jogging, dancing and stretching montages. The inspiration for the collection purportedly stems from a recreational park Beyoncé used to frequent as a child with her family, and continues to visit during pivotal moments in her life.

Queen Bey's Logo Mesh Longline Crew Neck Tee, $60; image via

With a variety of polyester, viscose and lycra bodysuits, jerseys, leggings and sports bras ranging from $15 to $170, Bey's new work out line quickly sold out in stores and online, however you can still snag several pieces via the Topshop website. Customer reviews have been generally positive and the collection's unveiling was accompanied by an onslaught of social media users raving about the Ivy Park spring summer 2016 campaign 'where is your park' video. The collection features both casual and active wear with an emphasis on technologically advanced sweat resistant fabrics.

Whether you're going to be hitting the gym or simply lounging around like a queen in these monochromatic must-haves, QB has most definitely thought of the perfect form fitting tank or "Ivy Park" emblazoned leggings for every occasion.

Another still from Ivy Park's campaign; image via

Missed Ivy Park's big debut? Watch the campaign's reveal video here and let us know in the comments below what some of your favorite pieces are. 

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3 Work-Outs to Look Tip-Top at the MODA Fashion Show!

With the MODA Show approaching, you want to feel as good as you'll look in in your best MODA-inspired outfit. Here are 3 quick workouts to help you feel refreshed and in tip-top shape for the show (or make you feel less guilty about hitting these amazing spots for dinner beforehand!)

• The 7-Minute Workout:

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This video that has garnered over 2 million views focuses on the 7-Minute Workout, a regimen made from a study at the McMaster University. This quick workout works to burn fat quicker, maximize caloric consumption, train the muscles of the whole body without any fancy equipment, and improve health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The 12 exercises below can be done anywhere using the weight of your own body, targeting different groups of muscles:

1. jumping jacks (cardio)
2.  wall squats (quads and glutes)
3. push-ups (triceps, chest and shoulders)
4. crunches (abs)
5. step up (quads and glutes)
6. squats (quads, hamstrings and glutes)
7. triceps dips (triceps)
8. plank (abs and obliques)
9. high knee run (quads and hip flexors)
10. lunges (quads, hamstrings and glutes)
11. side plank (obliques, hip flexors)
12. pushups with rotation (triceps, chest, shoulders, abs, obliques, hip flexors)

• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred: Level 1

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If it's good enough for fitness focused reality TV show, it's got to be good. The "Biggest Loser" trainer has created a video that she guarantees will help you lose 20 pounds in 30 days (but can also work as a good intense workout). In this, there are three 20-minute circuit-training workouts that burn mega calories and build strong, lean muscle. Each level contains a 20-minute workout based on Jillian's exclusive "3-2-1" formula: 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of ab work. Sounds easy enough but do you dare try it?

• P90X3 Workout

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Tony Horton, the creator of P90X3 (the new and intense 30-minute workout series), has come to help maximize your sweat session. In this 11 minute video, he uses exercises like planking, jogging in place, weights and the most important tool: manipulation of the body itself. Although you will definitely feel it in the morning, the most important result is the feeling of accomplishment in working through a workout as difficult as this one!

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What are your favorite workouts? Let us know in the comments below! 

Setting the Bar High: What to Look for in a Nutrition Bar

Nutrition bars can supplement your diet with essential nutrients that are difficult to incorporate into daily meals, but while these products are all great in theory, few actually make good on the promises adorning the front of their wrappers. If you want to know what’s really in that “healthy snack” you’re considering eating, take an educated look at the ingredient list on the back. There are a number of macronutrients - carbohydrates, fats, and proteins - and micronutrients - vitamins and minerals - that you should be aware your body either absolutely needs or absolutely should not have.

LUNA Bar, a branch of Clif Bar & Company dedicated to filling the nutritional gaps in women’s diets, puts out nutrition labels that I have found to be worth looking at. Their bars incorporate a lot of what you should be looking for in a nutrition product, and though they are marketed specifically to women, they are worth considering for men too. LUNA uses what they call the “CORE 4” - calcium, folic acid, iron, and Vitamin D. Why should you be excited to see these ingredients on the back of a wrapper? Calcium supports strong teeth and bones, and if you aren’t drinking a glass of milk or taking a supplement everyday, you probably aren’t getting enough of it. Unfortunately, even if you are drinking that milk or taking those supplements, it makes little difference if you aren’t getting enough Vitamin D, which supports your immune system and enables your body to absorb calcium. By incorporating both calcium and Vitamin D, products like LUNA Bars ensure that you can actually reap the benefits of the nutrition they offer.

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While most people are aware, at least to some extent, that they need calcium and vitamin D, not many people know how essential the other half of the CORE 4, iron and folic acid, are to their diets. It is a common assumption that they are only necessary for girls to replenish red blood cell levels and generate new cells monthly, but they are important for reasons beyond those - and not just for girls. Folic acid supports strong skin and nails, and iron helps your body produce hemoglobin, which works to circulate oxygen throughout your body. A deficiency in the oxygen in your body can result in anemia, a condition marked by fatigue, shortness of breath, impaired brain function, and a sickly skin tone.

For many of us, iron is almost as hard to get as it is important to have. Red meat is the best source of it, with smaller amounts in leafy greens and other meats, but I know from experience how difficult these things can be to incorporate into your daily meals. That’s why having a nutritional supplement like a LUNA Bar, which offers both iron and the Vitamin C that can help you absorb it, is an easy way to help your body function as it should.

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As important as what’s in a bar is what’s not. All of the good things - calcium, vitamin D, folic acid, iron, protein, and fiber - can be negated by the inclusion of sugar (high fructose corn syrup, fructose, sucrose), partially hydrogenated oils, and synthetic preservatives. What I like about LUNA is that their bars only include 5-9 grams of sugar and absolutely no partially hydrogenated oils or synthetic preservatives.

This information can be used to critically look at the nutritional information on any food product you are considering purchasing, not just LUNA Bars. Regardless of what nutrition bar you’re buying, it’s important to look for the CORE 4 as well as protein and fiber to make sure you’re getting what you need from your bar. Knowing what to expect from additions to your diet will ensure that the benefits the product offers outweigh the costs to your body and your wallet.

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What are your favorite nutrition bars? Let us know in the comments below!

A MODA Blogger's First Time at SoulCycle

A cult. An obsession. More than a workout. SoulCycle first swept into many of our lives as that mysterious spin class frequented by Victoria and David Beckham, Oprah, Selena Gomez, really every celebrity on the planet. With its dark rooms, loud music and frequent celebrity postings, SoulCycle has become one of the most popular and talked about fitness classes in America with profiles in New York Magazine and Vanity Fair.

For many, myself included, who had never gone to SoulCycle, it carries with it a certain mystique. Is it a cult? Is everyone there a celebrity? Why is the room so dark? And what about SoulCycle is so much more appealing than other spin classes?

The first SoulCycle location in Chicago opened last spring in Old Town, and since then another location has been added in the north Loop. I went with a few friends for a Sunday afternoon class at the Loop location taught by Kellen.

The class was more or less what I expected. A lot of fit people in a dark room spinning and sweating to upbeat music. There were a few moments that veered toward cult-like, think the instructor telling you about feeding your soul, but I didn't find that aspect much different than a typical yoga class (friends of mine found it more low-key than SoulCycle studios in other cities).

The only truly unexpected part of the forty-five minutes was the intense arm workout using two-pound dumbbells. Going into it, I thought the workout would be pure cardio, and the use of dumbbells was a nice twist.

I left SoulCycle feeling rejuvenated, and I was happy to have finally gone to a class. For anyone who wants to see what's behind the celebrity Instagrams, SoulCycle offers $20 classes for first time riders that are definitely worth it for the experience.

SoulCycle has two locations in Chicago, its original Old Town studio (1225 N. Wells St.) and its new location in the Loop (111 Upper W. Wacker Dr).

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Have you ever been to SoulCycle? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Fall Bikini Bods Made Possible

Excessive amounts of milkshakes, coffee, and cookies, lack of sleep and stress eating - in terms of unhealthy habits, these describe college perfectly. Nothing motivates us more during the springtime than getting beach ready for summer, so how do we stay bikini-ready all year round? We can start by stocking up our dorms and apartments with healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, or granola and trading in those long nights with six cups of coffee for a cup of caffeinated herbal tea. Owning a cute water bottle will make you want to drink more water during the day, so fill it up often to stay hydrated.

Exercise, exercise, exercise! Although diet is an important way to stay healthy and fit, pick up a new indoor activity to keep yourself moving. In Hyde Park there are gyms and studios for most activities or you could just head over to Ratner Athletic Center for a quick workout right on campus that offers cardio kickboxing, Zumba, yoga, and so much more. Other ways to stay active this fall include dance classes in Hyde Park or on campus and joining any of the club teams and intramural teams that are available on campus.

During those days when you're procrastinating and decide to take a nap instead of writing your paper, go out and exercise because that will help energize you - maybe you'll become inspired and get back to work feeling better than ever. Plus there are so many ways to stay active that there is something for every person to do. On campus we have a wide range of intramural and club sports from girls' rugby and co-ed flag football to midnight soccer and dodgeball, so look at the schedule on athletics.uchicago.edu and find a team if that interests you. In Hyde Park there is the Hyde Park School of Dance that offers classes in jazz, ballet, and modern dance. CorePower yoga studio offers beginners' classes, and Chaturanga Holistic Fitness that offers classes in yoga, meditation, pilates, and dance.

If you just have fun with it, staying healthy and working out won’t even feel like the usual hassle that comes with the springtime frenzy of getting swimsuit ready. But don’t forget, it’s cold out so hot chocolate will always be the perfect treat for those chilly fall nights.

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FitChicago: The Best Classes and Gyms

Spring break is just around the corner and we're entering swimsuit season. If looking at your bikini makes you nervous, we feel you. Check out these Chicago workout ideas, because being strong is sexy.

Body R+D Don your grip socks and get ready to strike a pose on the fitness world’s famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) Megaformer. A Pilates reformer on steroids, it's a platform attached to a variety of springs and cables that provide continuous resistance as you put yourself through a series of isolation and total-body moves. According to Body R+D, the method "isolates and attacks specific muscles until they can no longer move," burning between 500 to 700 calories during a single 50-minute class.

Body R+D // 2940 North Lincoln Avenue// 773-935-3200

AIR A unique combination of resistance and suspension — achieved by hanging from the ceiling in gorgeous silk hammocks — lengthens and tones muscles while keeping you more than entertained. The classes, which blend the best of barre, yoga, and Pilates in one, tap muscles you didn’t even know you had. AIR currently has a River North and Lincoln Park location, with a Streeterville studio in the beginning stages.

AIR // multiple locations

Lateral Fitness This Gold Coast boutique gym takes a scientific and systematic approach to fitness progressions. It offers personalized endurance training, yoga and kettlebell classes, massage, and acupuncture. It also has staff who specialize in Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), which applies force to muscles to help reactivate them and ease muscular imbalances.

Lateral Fitness // 314 West Superior Street// 312-291-9466

Challenge your core and channel your inner surfer at Moirai's Surfset Fitness classes. The class consists of almost every exercise you can possibly do is done on a destabilized surfboard that’s about 6 feet long – think mountain climbers, pushups, squats. It’s a whole new level. The classes tone your entire body and remind you of the sun and beach in your near future

Moirai Health & Fitness // 820 North Orleans Street

David Barton Gym This super-swanky gym, founded by the legendary David Barton, combines top-tier training and equipment in a luxurious space that'll make you want to hang out for hours on end. The 30,000-square-foot gym, on the edge of the Chicago River, boasts live sets by local DJs, saunas, steam rooms, and dozens of classes including Yoga for Jocks, Gravity Surfing, and Pressure Cooker.

David Barton Gym // 600 W. Chicago Ave // 312-836-9127

Shred415 This high-intensity interval class combines the best of running and lifting into one 60-minute session. At the studio’s four city locations (more in the 'burbs), exercisers move between fast-paced treadmill and strength workouts, tackling free weights, medicine balls, resistance bands, weighted bars, and sand bells. High-energy, pump-it-up music and top-notch instructors (trained in sports medicine, rehabilitation, MMA, physical therapy, running biomechanics, and other disciplines) will lead the way.

Shred415 // multiple locations

Flex Pilates Chicago With just nine top-of-the-line reformers, this studio provides your most personalized Pilates workout ever. Plus, by combining traditional Pilates moves with exercises from other fitness disciplines (including yoga, barre, and dance), instructors guide you through slow and continuous exercises that will work your entire body to exhaustion (in a good way!).

Flex Pilates Chicago // 213 West Institute Place, #709//  312-587-9000

East Bank Club This mini city of a gym (it spans a legit city block) has more cardio machines than you’ve ever seen in your life, jaw-dropping outdoor and indoor pools, a golf course, tennis, racquetball, squash courts, and more. Plus, while you’re sweating it out, you can get your car washed and your clothes dry-cleaned. Then, get a quick mani/pedi and blowout and meet your date in the club’s high-class restaurant.

East Bank Club // 500 North Kingsbury Street// 312-527-5800

Flywheel Sports Forget blindly turning your Spin bike’s resistance knob. This studio’s tech-heavy machines display your resistance level, speed, and your power output (both current and cumulative for the class), so you can push yourself as hard as you want. If you want to compete against others, log in to your class’s Torqboard — a large-screen leaderboard that shows how your performance stacks up against others’. Every ride’s stats are recorded, and you can track them online.

Flywheel Sports // multiple locations

Equinox This top international fitness brand is known for its classes, and come January 1, it will launch its newest body-changer: Elimin8tor. The intense, 45-minute sessions replace regular instruction with interactivity, in which participants select both moves to "eliminate" from the class's four rounds, and extra high-intensity ones to finish off each round. Check out Elimin8tor at any of the gym’s three city locations (plus one in Highland Park).

Equinox // multiple locations

First Ascent Climbing & Fitness Soon, you’ll be able to climb the flatlands of Chicago. Opening in late spring/early summer, this world-class climbing gym will feature not just 26,000 square feet of climbing and bouldering walls, but also yoga and fitness classes, personal training, and a hefty helping of fitness equipment, too. It's yet one more reason to look forward to spring.

First Ascent Climbing & Fitness // 3500 North Spaulding Avenue

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Boost Your Workout: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-Intensity Interval Training-- or HIIT-- is a quick yet effective way to workout. It can be completed in a short amount of time while providing more benefits than steady-state workouts of the same length. It combines the benefits of both interval training and high-intensity training by alternating intervals of high effort with intervals of medium to low effort. There are several  beneifts to HIIT including:

• Improves overall fitness in fewer weeks than steady-state training
• Burn more calories and fat in less time
• Strengthens the heart which improves heart health
• Increases metabolism
• Can be completed anywhere with little to no equipment
• Can be adapted for any fitness level

Looking to try HIIT? There are several types of HIIT workouts to fit any schedule and fitness level. Here are some of our favorite HIIT workouts:

• This seven-minute workout can easily be done in a dorm room or apartment and was featured in the New York Times.
• If you have 10 minutes and a treadmill, you can do this workout, which has modifications for every fitness level.
• The Tabata method of HIIT is best for those with very little time and is recommended for those already at high fitness level. It involves alternating between 20 second high-intensity intervals with 10 second low-intensity intervals. Tabata workouts can be completed in as few as 4 minutes. This total-body workout uses Tabata principles to work out your entire body in only 10 minutes. Learn more about Tabata here.
• If you want to design your own HIIT workout, this infographic has all the information you need.

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