The last two posts on the blog, Doing the Impossible & Be the Example, have been more motivational in nature so today I wanted to return to practicality. Also, I nearly forgot that in the last Work it Wednesday post, Investing in Yourself, I said that I would share the second action that I took in regards to getting more exercise after getting my Type 2 diagnosis back in 2015. As I had shared in that article, the first action I took was to take our golden retriever Sunny on extended morning walks. This was great. The walks were helping bring my blood sugar down and provided me some time to be “in my head”. This was a great added benefit.
However as time went on, (and summer started encroaching) the South Texas heat became a challenge even early in the day. Also, as I’d been eating better and getting regular exercise, my energy level continued to rise and Sunny-paced walk didn’t always fit the bill. There were many times where she wore out before I did!
So I started looking into gym memberships and local workout classes. I didn’t have much money to invest in a gym membership but I started hearing about a recently launched gym concept called Planet Fitness. It may not have been new nationally but was relatively new here and they had been advertising during Spur’s broadcasts. (a good strategy to get my attention!) It also appealed to a cheapskate like me because the cost was only $10 a month. That’s like two Starbucks!
I toured their facilities and learned of a special area they have called the “PF Express 30 minute workout”. It is a separate area with ten step stations and ten weight machines. An overhead stoplight changes between red and green every minute and 15 seconds to move you through the stations. You know it’s an excellent workout when they have to put a warning to rest at least a day between these workouts and limit the number done each week. No joke! See the sign below.
Also, they have a great set of step exercises that they partnered with the Biggest Loser to produce.
Doing these exercises, constantly switching between a step station and a weight machine is an excellent form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) combined with weight training. Training with bursts of activity has been proven to burn more calories while weight training has been proven to burn calories for many hours after you stop working out.
Getting all these benefits in such a short workout is amazing. You’ll feel amazing after you do it too! I hope you have a Planet Fitness near you or can adapt the concept to whatever facilities you do have. Remember to take care of yourself today and HIIT it!
P.S. Whenever you are doing any weight training you’ll want to be sure to get enough protein to feed your muscle repair. Check out the last Foodie Friday post, Have an Eggcellent Morning! for some tips and a great Keto recipe!
not2long 