The World Health Organisation recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week for adults (aged 18 to 69 years). But what is surprising to note is that most Indians do not get even a fraction of this physical activity. Therefore, a sizeable portion of India’s population is at risk of non-communicable diseases (like cancer, diabetes, stroke, etc), the possibility of which rises with increased tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise.
However, most conversations around fitness start with weight loss, though that is not the only benchmark of a healthy body. Any exercise is good, particularly for those who are leading a highly sedentary lifestyle, especially the desk-bound workforce.
Cardio and HIIT are often compared to evaluate which delivers quicker results. Cardio or cardiovascular training is anything that gets your heart pumping at a higher but moderate rate. Steady-state cardio elevates your heart rate to about 5080 percent of your max heart rate and can be performed for 30-90 minutes. HIIT or high-intensity interval training is a type of anaerobic exercise that requires you to work at 80-95 percent of your max heart rate. Due to the intensity of the exercises, they can only be performed in short bursts of about 10-30 seconds with rest/recovery in between rounds.
Steady-state cardio includes exercises such as cycling, jogging, walking, swimming etc. In these activities, the body breaks down glucose with the help of oxygen. Due to its lower intensity than HIIT, cardio exercises are generally considered more suitable for a wider range of athletes or amateurs. It is not as demanding as HIIT but consistency in practice improves heart health and aids weight loss. Cardio also helps in stress management. Studies have shown that those who do cardio regularly have lower insulin levels, blood sugar, and body weight, which reduces their risk of cardiovascular diseases.
HIIT involves exercises such as sprinting, stationary cycling, and full-body circuit training (e.g. push-ups, squats, bicycle crunches). These require you to power through them, extracting peak performance from the muscles. You can be left feeling sore after a few rounds of HIIT because it inflicts microtears in your muscle fibres repairing which enables your muscles to grow bigger and stronger. HIIT uses anaerobic decomposition of glucose which creates lactic acid as a byproduct. This also helps in repairing of the damaged tissues and makes the body more flexible and healthy.
One of the biggest benefits of HIIT is the time efficiency it provides.
You can pack in a high-intensity workout in a couple of minutes as opposed to the 30 minutes you must dedicate to cardio to see results. Studies have corroborated this. This means for time-starved professionals, HIIT can pack a greater punch in a shorter amount of time. More calories burnt in less time sounds like a sweet deal. However, it is important to remember that not everyone can go from zero activity to a high-intensity workout overnight. There are physical costs to be considered as HIIT may be difficult to sustain for the long term because it requires a challenging range of mobility and level of intensity.
Also, those with certain medical conditions or pregnant women must first consult their doctor before going in for HIIT. Some studies have also shown that HIIT can improve your muscle’s ability to use oxygen. Better oxygenation is linked to better muscle health, and lower fatigue and pain. To sum up, while there is evidence to support HIIT as the more time-efficient workout, the one that gives the best results really is the one that will get you to move your body daily and for longer.
Written By: Deepak Pal- Sports & Functional Nutritionist, SENS Clinic
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