By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

May 6, 2015

• Get your skinny on
• Super training for a super body
• …in less than a half hour

In the last issue of Advanced Natural Wellness you learned the power of high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Now, you know it can make you look younger – both inside and out – and cut your risk of disease.

It’s like a magic pill, and only takes a few minutes a day.

What I failed to mention is what you’ll look like if you take your training seriously and combine it with my modified Mediterranean diet.

You see, this type of training is a real fat-burner. And with summer close at hand, it’s exactly what you need to get your body into shape so you look great in your swim suit.

We already talked about the basic concept of HIIT, and how you can start benefiting from it three days a week. Let’s call those the “walk-sprint” days. Today I’d like to share some moves you can put into play in between those sessions. We’ll call those the “super HIIT” days. (Then, you can take a day off!)

So, here’s the schedule:

• Days 1, 3 and 5: Walk-Sprint Days
• Days 2, 4 and 6: Super HIIT Days
• Day 7: Rest

Perform each of the routines below for 30 seconds. Then, take up to two minutes to recover and move on to the next routine. I’ve included modifications for those who need a lower level or higher level workout. It’s important to select the mode that matches your fitness level. (Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes to your usual fitness routine.)

Warm Up

The first thing you are going to do is a 5-minute warm up by walking. Start slow for the first minute or two to get your joints and muscles loosened up, then speed up a bit. After you’re nice and limber…

Lower Body Workout: Standing Butt Kickers

1. Stand straight with your legs slightly apart.

2. Keeping your thigh vertical, raise your left leg backward — as though you were going to kick yourself in the hind end with your foot.

3. Return leg to starting position and repeat the movement with your right leg.

4. Kick as fast as you can for 30 seconds.

5. Rest for up to two minutes and move on to next routine.

Easy – Perform the same movements with your hands on the back of a stable chair, table or counter. In the beginning you may not be able to lift your legs very far, but don’t worry. As your strength and flexibility improves so will your abilities.

Advanced – Complete the same exercise but jump off of each leg as you begin to raise it. This is similar to running in place, except the thigh stays vertical and the lower part of your leg is kicking back and upward toward your rear-end.

Upper Body Workout: Boxer

1. Start with your feet hip-width apart and your knees bent. Lean your body forward at the waist.

2. Upper arms and elbows should be tight to your body with forearms at a 90 degree angle.

3. With body leaning forward at the waist, extend your right arm forward as if “throwing a punch” while extending the left arm backward.

4. Return to starting position, and then repeat with opposite arm.

5. Keep alternating punches for 30 seconds as fast as you can go.

6. Rest for up to two minutes and move on to next routine.

Easy – Perform the same movements, but without bending at the waist.

Advanced – Complete the same exercise but jump off the left leg as you throw a right punch and off the right leg as you throw a left.

Whole Body Workout: Standing Crunches

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your legs slightly bent at the knee.

2. Bend your arms at the elbows and place your hands next to your ears.

3. Lift your right leg at the knee and twist your body to bring your left elbow down to touch the knee.

4. Repeat on the other side.

5. Alternate for 30 seconds as fast as you can go.

Easy – Seat yourself in a chair with your back straight, your feet flat on the ground and your arms on the armrests. Lean forward slightly, tighten your abdomen, and raise both knees straight up.

Advanced – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Put your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the side. Curl your body forward so that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the floor while slightly raising knees toward your head.

Don’t stop yet! You still have three more routines to look forward to after you rest for a minute or two…so let’s get on with it.

Lower Body Workout: Squats

Place your hip-width apart with your hands behind your head. Squat at the knees, using your upper thighs and abdomen for strength…and remember to keep your back straight. Rise back up into standing position.

You know the drill by now. Keep going for 30 seconds, then rest.

Easy – Perform your squats with your back against the wall or with your hands placed on the back of a stable chair, table or counter. Only squat as far as is comfortable.

Advanced – Jump out of your squats while raising your hands over your head.

Everyone knows how to do the last two routines, so I’ll keep them short and sweet…

Upper Body Workout: Push-Ups

You can do pushups by leaning forward on a wall and pushing yourself off, knee push-ups (what we used to call “girl” push-ups), or full pushups.

Whole Body Workout: Jumping Jacks

If you need the easy routine, you can do half-jacks. Just keep your jumps low, and only raise your arms halfway up. For advanced, try a scissor-jack. When you jump, place one leg forward and one leg backward while raising your hands over your head. Then alternate legs on each subsequent jump.

Cool Down by walking for about 5 minutes.

Now, if you needed a two minute break between each routine, you just spent 13 minutes in rigorous activity. If you only needed one minute of recovery, it was an 8 minute routine. Adding warm-up and cool down, that totals 18 to 23 minutes.

I’ll bet you spend more time than that each day sitting at traffic lights or talking on the phone. Why not give the same amount of time for your health, longevity and a strong, youthful body?