Last Updated on December 11, 2024
One of the main reasons that people don’t workout is a lack of time. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) might be the solution for that. Recent studies have shown the benefits of people with diabetes doing high-intensity interval training. The American Diabetes Association recommends 150 – 210 minutes every week of exercise, a HIIT workout, on the other hand, can be completed in 20 minutes.
There have been few studies comparing traditional workouts to HIIT, but one workout showed that 2 hours of HIIT exercise was able to decrease insulin resistance in overweight men and women. HIIT exercises have also proven more successful to increase weight loss versus a more traditional longer workout.
HIIT exercise is a “quality over quantity” mindset. With HIIT, you’ll be pushing your body very hard for a shorter amount of time, which is great if you don’t have a lot of time to exercise. High-intensity exercise is classified as going 80% or higher for a maximum of 30 seconds.
Examples of HIIT
If you only have 30 minutes to hit the gym or exercise, choose a HIIT workout. There are hundreds of HIIT workouts that you can do with or without any equipment. One of the simplest HIIT workouts you can do is a simple sprint/walk workout. You can do these workouts on a treadmill, at a track, at a park, or just around your house. For an effective running HIIT workout, sprint as fast as possible for 10 – 15 seconds (it’s harder than it sounds) then jog slowly for 45 seconds, repeat the process five times before resting. Doing these workouts on a track, treadmill, or with a stopwatch can give you exact times instead of having to guess (when you’re running 10 seconds tends to be longer than it feels).
Stationary bikes are another option for a sweat inducing HIIT workout. These workouts will look similar to the running HIIT. Bike very hard for 30 seconds, and then slow down to a comfortable pace for 1 minute to a minute and a half.
To workout your upper or lower body, you can create your HIIT workout. Choose 4 – 6 different workouts and grab a stopwatch. Do each exercise for 30 seconds with a 15-second rest in between each exercise. At the end of each circuit of exercises, take a 1 – 2-minute break before starting the circuit over. Perform each exercise 3 times.
If you don’t know which exercises work best with each other, Youtube has millions of different exercise videos that will show you how to do each exercise and for how long to do it.
HIIT Safety
Blood Sugar Awareness
As with any other type of exercise, people with diabetes should be aware of their blood sugar levels when performing HIIT. Always have plenty of water with you, HIIT workouts will cause you to sweat, a lot. You should also have a snack in case you experience a hypoglycemic episode while you are working out.
Use a Towel
Bring a towel to your workout. When you’re working out, you’re going to be sweating, which can make your workout area and hands slippery. Be sure to bring a workout towel to dry your hands, arms, and floor.
Technique
Focus on technique during the HIIT workout. As you workout, especially the longer you workout, people tend to lose proper technique and their bodies suffer from it. Poor form will do more harm than good. Be sure to take your time with each exercise and do them properly.
