Tabata intervals - a marriage saver?

Why is it so hard to get fit? Why is it even harder to stay that way? Well, let?s look at the usual weekday of the working parent (myself included):

Your day starts with getting yourself ready for work and the children ready for daycare. At this time, exercise is pretty much impossible. There is simply not enough time. Of course, you could wake up an hour earlier at say 4:30 a.m. but I?m pretty sure that?s a habit you?ll break sooner or later.

When does the next possibility for training occur? After having picked up the kids from daycare at about 5:30 p.m. There is of course still the matter of making supper for the family but I guess you and your partner can take turns doing that so that at least one of you can get some working out done. Then again, it?s not all that easy looking after the children while cooking supper. Wouldn?t it be neat if your spouse could do that while you?re cooking? Oh, right.

Ok, so after supper there is a window of approximately 45 minutes before it?s time to put the children to bed. I believe this is time well spent playing with them. But if it?s your partners turn to put them to bed you can do your exercise then. you will be done at about 9 p.m. which leaves about an hour of kid-free time to make the relationship prosper. An hour a day! Not ideal.

Under these circumstances it is quite hard both to form and to keep up a fitness habit. Is there a way around this? Fortunately, the answer is yes! Let?s look at the solution:

The marriage saving exercise regime is called the Tabata interval method. It can be done with pretty much any exercise, with or without equipment. You can also combine separate exercises in one session. I?ll just tell you what I do:

After an initial warm-up of about two minutes do the following:

1) 20 seconds of maximum intensity high knee skips. Rest for 10 seconds.

2) 20 seconds of maximum intensity burpees with pushup and jump (knees touching the chest). Rest for 10 seconds. 3) 20 seconds of maximum intensity mountain climbers. Rest for 10 seconds.

4) 20 seconds of maximum intensity jumping lunges. Rest for 10 seconds.

5) Do 1) through 4) one more time.

This 4 minute workout is actually quite hard and will definitely get your heart pumping and sweat flowing. Do not be fooled by the small amount of time you're working!

There is a scientific study backing up the effects of the Tabata method. It was conducted in 1997 by Dr. Izumi Tabata and his research colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. I'll skip the details of the study and go straight for the conclusion:

Four minutes of Tabata intervals can do more for increasing aerobic and anaerobic performance than one hour of endurance training!

The tabata protocol can be incorporated to your day no matter how busy you are. So what are you waiting for? Try it! Good luck!

Remember to consult a doctor before starting any exercise or diet program.

If you want to know more about Tabata intervals, visit my Tabata intervals website.