HIIT me baby, one more time.

I haven't wanted to put this out there (or buy new clothes) until I thought I was fully committed, but I have an announcement.

I'm no longer just donating to the gym. We are now in a relationship.

For some reason, it took trying exercise as a reprieve for anxiety for me to really get into it, and wouldn't you know -- it works! If only someone would conduct some research or write an article on this or something. ;-)

I'm limited to a certain type of bike at the gym because of a foot impediment, so really getting a good workout was taking more time and some creativity...until I tried HIIT. High-intensity interval training is not newj -- it has been around for ages -- but I just learned about it in the past year.

The idea is to alternate intense bursts of exercise with shorter periods of rest, then repeat.

The result? I definitely get a more intense workout using this method. I sweat more, my heart rate gets much higher, I'm able to burn more calories in one sitting, and I just feel the overall burn. It's like getting a better bang for your buck, without dedicating any more time to that exercise.

So how do you get started?

I'm sure there are much more structured and beneficial approaches, but I literally just searched for HIIT in the App Store and found a free timer.

The one I selected has you warm up for 10 seconds (yellow-gold timer), go at a normal rate for a certain period (green timer), then gives you a window of time to exercise at an intense rate (red timer). If you're using earbuds or want to look at something else on your phone while working out, the timer will run in the background and alert you to the next phase with a traditional kitchen timer sound. On the bike, I like to have the timer up on my screen so I can keep track of which intensity to exercise at while still focusing on audiobooks or podcasts.

Do you have experience with HIIT or other resources that might help? I'd love to hear about it!

HIIT and I have been connecting for a few months now, so I'm thinking this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

The Apple Store

This evening, I was reminded that I live in one of the South's coolest cities. (Not temperature-wise, but coolness-wise.)

After the gym, I ran by the Mall of Louisiana's new Apple Store for some technical support. When I walked in, I was immediately surrounded by....cool. (And not just from the A/C.) I wondered if I fit in, but then realized it didn't matter, since I was there for technical support. This wasn't some club I had to have membership to; I needed help.

Walking past the Kid Mac Zone -- which was, of course, complete with ball-shaped bean bags and mini Macs -- to the front, where people were sitting at barstools being helped by employees, I waited in line for a few minutes until I realized there was probably some protocol I was totally clueless about. Turning around to the (much cooler than me) girl cradling her Mac notebook behind me, I said, "Are you in line?" She, of course, responded with, "No. I'm just waiting for my appointment with the concierge."

Appointment? Concierge? Did Carl submit my resume' before purchasing my iPod so that I could actually qualify for this gift?!

Stepping back, I asked the guy near Cool Girl who was typing on a computer, "Is that where we make reservations with the concierge?" He said, "I think so, but it doesn't work." So I asked the girl, "Do we just stand here to make our appointments?" She, of course, responded very nonchalantly, "Well, maybe. But I made mine online."

Realizing this was not going to be the quick technical support trip I had envisioned, I attempted a graceful exit with some lame joke about needing to go home and make my appointment. With a concierge. For another day.

Which I just did...for Friday evening. I'll keep you posted on how uncool they diagnose me to be. I fear it could be serious.

Ah well. At least I still live in a cool city.

2 Comments

hibbs is what they call me
hahaha! We have one in Birmingham, and I felt the same way when I went in to buy my MacBook. As soon as I walked in the Apple store, all the "coolness" I thought I possessed beforehand left when I enter those doors. I seriously felt it leave my body and I was so depressed! I remember telling Julie these exact words when I got home ... "I am not cool enough to shop there." But luckily I found a really "cool" employee that helped me out!
Posted by hibbs is what they call me on August 13, 2008 - Wednesday - 9:29 AM

RE RE
ha ha ha!!! i feel the same way when i call them for support on the phone. obviously, i don't live in a "cool" enough city to have a store. thank God! i have since resorted to recruiting help from my 15 yr old nephew and my 9 yr old niece. And, they think I am "like, totally cool". so, it works out for us all! LOL
Posted by RE RE on August 14, 2008 - Thursday - 9:17 AM