HIIT at Any Age

Last week, I talked about taking inventory of where your body is now, primarily in your ability to move your limbs. The reason was that regardless of age as well as physical limitations, you can improve your fitness level; better yet, you can potentially accelerate the process using high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT. It may take ingenuity if your physical limitations are significant, and you should be guided by your healthcare professional to get started. Let’s take a look at a recent study.

Researchers in Australia recruited a group of apparently healthy subjects 65 to 85 years old to participate in a HIIT study focusing on changes in body composition. With a mean age of 72, the subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group who focused on stretching and balance exercises, a moderate intensity group who walked on a treadmill for 45 minutes at a specified target heart rate range, and a group who walked 40 minutes including a 10-minute warm-up, four 4-minute intervals at a specified heart rate range interspersed with 3 minutes of active recovery, and a cool down.

There were significant changes in body composition between the control group and both the HIIT and the moderate-intensity group with a specific change in the visceral fat. Were they fitter? The HIIT group had a greater use of oxygen than the moderate group, but it was not statistically significant. The important point was that even people over 80 could perform HIIT based on their specific fitness level. What about people who recently had heart attacks? I’ll tell you about another study on Saturday.

Tomorrow night is the Insider Conference Call, and the topic of the night is reducing the risk of dementia by changing the lifestyle factors that are under our control. You can participate if you become an Insider by 8 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow night.

What are you prepared to do today?