Benefits of Doing HIIT on Low Carb

What are the benefits of doing
HITT on Low Carb?

Exercise isn't negotiable.

That's what Dr. Atkins said.

But how you choose to define exercise and how you decide to implement it into your current lifestyle will depend on your health situation, activity level, and where you are on the low-carb path.

Those who are sedentary, just beginning Keto, or have health challenges that interfere with intense exercise programs will need to take those situations into consideration when designing and implementing a practical exercise plan.

For example, my physical balance mechanisms don't work, so it is dangerous for me to engage in activities that require a lot of bending over, rolling, or running.

However, that is no excuse for me not adding exercise to my low-carb weight-loss plan.

I just had to choose appropriate activities, such as a stationary bicycle, illeptical machine, walking, dancing, and other activities that are complementary to my health challenges.

Today, I've slacked off a bit, due to living conditions and the fact that I no longer own a stationary bicycle or illeptical machine, but I've also paid the price for ignoring the exercise aspect of going Keto.

Endurance has suffered, muscular strength is down, and my weight loss seems to have come to a screeching halt.

Part of the problem is that I used to do what's called high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which causes the body to burn more calories for several hours after the exercise session is over, so I am no longer getting that benefit, except on rare occasions on the weekends.

In my own case, it's not for lack of time.

HIIT sessions only range from 10 minutes a day, three time a week, to 20 or 30 minutes a day, depending on your endurance level. They don't take anywhere near as much time to implement as standard cardio or walking does.

In fact, for those who are cramped for time, HIIT can be a wonderful solution to the question of exercise.

It's just that when things started to go bi-lateral on me, there was a lot of physical adjustments that had to be made. And then when we moved from Utah to Texas, we ended up living in a motel room for a lot longer than we anticipated, so I didn't even have space to pace back and forth, much less exercise.

I could only take so many trips on foot to Walmart in the Texas heat.

Now, hubby has a good job and we've moved into a two-bedroom rental home, so things are getting back to a normal pace, and my mind is moving toward the exercise aspect of weight loss.

I need to be more active.

So today, I'm going to discuss the benefits of implementing a HIIT program yourself, and explain how to adapt what you're already doing to make it more beneficial and effective.

Along the way, I'll talk about what I did and also offer additional suggestions and tricks to make exercise more enjoyable.

First, a Word of Caution -- See Your Doc

A lot of websites claim that HIIT isn't dangerous for anyone, but I find that pretty irresponsible.

If you're sedentary, your heart won't be as strong as someone who is highly active, and your muscles will be weak and out of shape.

In addition, if you also have health conditions, such as:

• heart problems
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• you smoke (or did)
• fall into the obese category
• or have lots of abdominal fat

An intense exercise program like HIIT can be dangerous in many situations, so please be practical when it comes to upping your activity level.

See your doctor first and make sure you don't have any underlying health conditions that would prevent you from participating in strenuous exercise for even short bursts of time.

It's better to be overly cautious when it comes to upping your activity.

Why?

The thing to realize is that HIIT isn't just upping the intensity slightly. It's a matter of going almost all out for a certain period of time. You have to give it all you've got, which might not be safe for some people.

Don't just assume that exercise is benign.

I had a friend once who actually shattered the bones in both ankles when she decided to start running. Her ankles couldn't sustain the force of her feet hitting the pavement, due to her weight.

Please start slowly.

Take your current weight into consideration.

And get permission from a qualified health professional if you are not already in perfect health.

While exercise is not negotiable, you don't have to do interval training. Walking at a fast pace or lifting weights might be a better fit for you, so don't think that the following is the only way to exercise on Keto or Atkins.

It's just what I did, and what I'm thinking of going back to, due to its benefits and time economy.

The Many Benefits of Doing HIIT on Low Carb

The most important benefit of doing HIIT on a low-carb diet is its ability to correct insulin resistance. This is particularly favorable for those with diabetes.

HIIT forces the body to get better at burning the fat that is stored in the muscles.

However, if you're new to a ketogenic diet, this won't happen until your muscles reach the point where they start efficiently burning fatty acids for fuel instead of glucose.

And that can take a few weeks.

If the muscles are not insulin resistant (which is what you want to happen), they will still be burning glucose during intense exercise, so you're more likely to crash.

This is another reason why you need to go slowly in the beginning. Give the body time to produce the extra enzymes required to burn fat at a steady clip.

Also, keep in mind that results won't manifest overnight.

This is a long-term game, and the body has to heal from its insulin resistance before it will get better at burning fat. The more insulin sensitive you are, the more effectively the body will burn fat for fuel.

Additional benefits of doing HIIT on low carb may include:

• stabilized blood glucose control
• maximum fat burning
• better muscle retention from dieting
• increased physical endurance
• raising your basic metabolic rate
• burning more abdominal fat
• a better cholesterol profile
• cardiovascular health improves
• improves high blood pressure

The beauty of HIIT is that in 10 to 20 minutes, three times a week, you get the exact same health benefits you'll see if you were to engage in three 45 minute average intensity workouts per week.

So you get the job done is far less time than you otherwise would.

What Did I Do?

Some websites talk about the growing trend toward doing higher intensity workouts as if HIIT was something new, but it's been around for a very long time.

As I said in the intro to this blog post, I was doing it in 2007, so I'm not sure when it actually became a "thing."

Today, it's popularity is growing, due to the scientific evidence that's coming out in support of it over other types of exercise, as well as its minor time demand, but again, it may or may not be beneficial for you.

You have to weigh out the intensity required to see any benefit with what you can realistically do.

If you can't get your heart rate up to at least 80 percent of maximum output, which should come to about 140 beats a minute, then you won't see the benefit until you do.

Oddly enough, being out of shape can actually help with this because it won't take as much intensity to get yourself up there. The downside will be your lack of endurance, so you might have to do shorter bursts until you can reasonably sustain longer ones.

When your heart goes above 130 beats a minute, the body usually turns to glucose, which will be in short supply.

I used to use a stationary bicycle for this. Before I heard about HIIT, I was riding for about 20 to 30 minutes about two times a week, and then did weight lifting for the other three days. Once I learned about HIIT, I simply incorporated the ideas into my riding session.

I didn't use a formal program. I just took what I was already doing and transformed it into HIIT. To do that, I used the following 6 steps:

1. I rode for 5 minutes at an average pace as a warm up.
2. I then rode that stationary bike for as fast as I could make my legs go for 20 to 30 seconds.
3. When I couldn't ride anymore, I slowed way down and rode at a leisurely pace for 2 to 3 minutes to recover.
4. Once recovered, I did another 20 to 30-second burst, and then rode at a leisurely pace to recover.
5. I once more did a 20 to 30 second burst.
6. Followed by a 5 minutes leisurely cool-down.

I stuck to this routine for twice a week and then I did weight lifting for the other three days.

Weight lifting included Lyle McDonald's beginner exercise program, so I didn't just lift weights. A few other exercises were included in the routine.

I never went past the beginner stage, but if you decide to do this yourself, you'll need to increase the intensity of whatever exercise you're doing as the routine becomes too easy for you, or you'll lose the benefits.

The key is to keep your heart rate up, and as the body adapts, you'll have to keep giving your body new challenges and make things more and more intense.

Additional Ways to Incorporate HIIT

This technique will work with a lot of different exercises, such as:

• walking
• the treadmill
• swimming
• dancing
• elliptical machine
• jumping rope

The idea is to stay consistent and incorporate small bursts of full-blown exercise in between a more normal pace. So, even if you're using this during a fun activity, such as bowling or tennis, you can still find ways to up your intensity.

If you don't have that much weight to lose, you could also alternate walking with running. I definitely would not try that if you do have a lot of weight to lose. I'd alternate a fast pace with a slower one instead.

How to Gauge Intensity

I hate to bring up the work up a sweat thing because in Utah, I hardly ever sweated. A better way to gauge the intensity of your activity of choice is to make sure you're putting out enough effort that it will be too difficult to carry on a conversation while doing the burst.

If you can still talk while exercising, you're not doing it intense enough to see the benefits.

While all exercise benefits the body, in some degree, the less intense the activity is, the longer you'll have to do it to get the insulin improvement and higher calorie burn.

Plus, the main purpose behind doing high-intensity interval workouts is to cut down on the amount of time you need to spend working out to see those improvements in fat burning.

Even a few short bursts can give you huge benefits in return.

For a beginner, start slow, even if you can only do a 10 second burst. Just know that it will take you a few weeks to build up the endurance you need to see results.

Patience is key here.

If possible, work toward doing three full-minute bursts per session. From what I've read so far, that will give you the maximum benefit you'd see from doing 45 minutes of exercise in the traditional way.

Why HIIT is More Enjoyable than Other Exercise Programs

One of the nice things about HIIT is that you can incorporate it into almost anything.

This means you don't have to purchase a gym membership or buy fancy equipment. I picked up that stationary bicycle for 5 bucks at a yard sale, but you can do something similar by using the stairs, a jump rope, or even running in place.

Anything that raises your heart rate to almost maximum capacity for 20 to 60 seconds qualifies as an appropriate exercise for HIIT. And that includes even traditional exercises like lunging, squatting, or high-knee kicks, as well as swimming or dancing. If it gets your heart pumping, it's fine.

But why do so many people find it enjoyable?

Since HIIT is performed for only very short bursts, many people experience the same dopamine release that comes with a complete, full-body workout. Turns out, it's not about the exercise itself, but how you feel about the exercise that counts.

If you feel like you accomplished something and that the burst was a worthwhile use of your time, you'll feel good about it, and those feelings of well-being will carry you through the entire short workout.

It also takes less time to accomplish, so it feels faster and more motivating. Your entire workout can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

Satisfaction is key here, so many find HIIT more fulfilling than a typical bicycle ride or jog in the park. Plus, the benefits to your heart, weight, and body fat composition will give you plenty of motivation to keep stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone.

But most of all, it's doable.

It's easy to tuck into your low-carb lifestyle, even a busy one. Short bursts of activity can be fun, even when they're difficult to complete because the challenge doesn't take a lot of time. Plus, the alternative nature of HIIT doesn't give you space to get bored.

You move from one level of intensity to another, and before you know it, you're done.

But what about you?

Do you use HIIT already? If so, why it is more enjoyable than other forms of exercise? Share your experience with us in the comments below.