I recently read a study called the “Economic Impact of Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity Among Those With and Without Established Cardiovascular Disease” and the findings were astonishing. Individuals with Cardiovascular Disease that did not participate in any sort of moderate-vigorous activity, were spending on average close to $14,000/year in healthcare expenses, with the largest percentage of spending coming from hospitalizations. Patients with cardiovascular disease that were participating in optimal exercise were only spending a mean $10,000 on health care. On the other end of the spectrum, those patients completing an optimal amount of moderate-vigorous physical activity and did not have any cardiovascular risk factors, were spending less than $4,000 a year with the majority of the cost coming from outpatient visits. So what does this tell us?
If you’re not active, you’re carrying a weight of financial burden on your shoulders by not committing to a regimen of exercise. And it’s easy to make excuses as to why you aren’t active, but completing a sufficient regimen of rigorous cardiovascular interval training can be much easier than you thought! High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is ideal for cardiovascular health and fat loss and doesn’t much, if any, equipment at all! You can complete 20 minutes of HIIT training in your living room using only your body! Here is a sample routine that will create large increases in your heart rate and heavy breathing in order to tax the cardiovascular system enough for health benefits.
Complete 20 repetitions of each exercise. Repeat circuit 3x!
Modified Burpees
Body Weight Squats
Touchdown Jump
Walking Lunges
Skater Jumps
Push-Ups
Mountain Climbers
Supermans
Plank Jacks
Sit-Ups
