Short HIIT v long walk: which is better?

ANNIE DEADMAN IS HERE TO HELP YOU, THE EASY WAY!

The team at Woman asked me to put the cards on the table. ‘So, Annie – should we be doing a short HIIT session or a long walk… Which is best?’. Well, it all depends on your goals, your current fitness, your age, the time you have available, but, essentially, the answer is both.

HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training, which means an exercise of high intensity for a short time, followed by either a rest period or an exercise of lower intensity.

Short bursts of something challenging will improve fitness and burn more calories in a shorter time. The heart is a muscle just like any other, so a mix of challenge and rest are good. It’s not all about jumping and gasping for breath, though. HIIT sessions come in all guises. Someone with a basic level of fitness, for example, won’t want to be knocking out dozens of burpees, but something like 20 seconds of fast squats with a kick, followed by 40 seconds of rest, would have the same desired effect.

Adding dumbbells increases intensity without the need to jump. So high intensity exercise (in whatever form) has its place for fitness and calorie burn, but not every day. As the moves are quick and intense, it carries a bigger risk over time of injury and little niggles, so any fitness regime (any at all) should be complemented with low intensity steady state exercise (known as LISS).

And the best, and safest, in my opinion, is a good old stomp. Walking. Shoulders back, spine long, core braced, glutes squeezed – there’s no better tonic after a day sitting down. It helps prevent (and manage) heart disease, hypertension, cancer, type-2 diabetes and stroke. Keeps you mobile, strengthens bones, builds endurance and boosts energy.

So, short HIITS and long walks are the perfect combo!

✱ Annie is a fitness coach and creator of the nutrition and fat-loss programme, The 21 Day Blast Plan (theblastplan.com)