HIIT?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Lela,

I am a 5ft 2 inch woman & my weight is 50 kgs. I know I don抰 really have weight problem but I also know that I can definitely reduce my body fat percentage significantly. I say that because I have always been heavier on my upper body & although in the last month or two of working out, I have seen some muscle building, I can still see plenty of excess fat around my arms, upper back etc.

I work out at home at 7 am as soon as I wake up (usually without eating anything). My workout consists of 30 mins of weight training, training two body parts each day, for example ?chest & triceps on one day, back & biceps the other etc. I follow this up with 40 mins of running on the treadmill ?I do about 6 kms everyday. I rest one/two days a week & I have been following this for over a month now.

In terms of food habits (vegetarian), I try to keep healthy.  Fruits, 2 egg whites, milk & 7-8 almonds in the morning. Tea with milk & some sugar at around 12pm. Lunch is bean/lentil soup, whole wheat bread & yogurt. I snack on fruit/baby carrots/cucumbers whenever I抦 hungry. Dinner is late at about 8.30 pm & by then, I am super hungry. So I eat a bowl or two of cooked vegetables, 1-2 small bowls of lentils/beans & then I crave nuts/dark chocolate/almond butter, so I抣l have a little bit of either or all! I sometimes even have a glass of milk in the night.

I have two questions for you ?firstly, what would you recommend I change in my diet? I feel like I often overeat in the night. Secondly, what would you recommend I change in the training program I am following presently? How should I go about reducing my overall body fat percentage?

Sorry for making this so long and thanks a ton!

Prerna


ANSWER: Prerna,
It sounds like you are doing pretty well. I have 2 suggestions for you- 1) Be patient with yourself, changing your body takes time.
2) Add some protein to your snacks- Eating the nuts during the day will be more helpful to you than eating them right before bed.

Also, since you have been doing your workout routine for over a month now, it is time to change it up (you should do that about every 6 weeks). Try doing just cardio for an hour every other day and then doing a whole upper body workout  and a whole lower body workout on the days between.

Hope this helps,
Lela Simon

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Lela,
Thanks so much for your previous reply. I did as you had recommended - increased by protein intake (nuts, tofu, cottage cheese, soymilk) & have seen positive results.

My question is about the change in my workout - I have switched to a 25 minute HIIT session (3-4 times a week) instead of steady state running I used to do (40 minutes, 5 - 6 times a week) previously. Its been a week since I switched & it feels strange because my cardio is shorter & on fewer days.  

What do you feel about HIIT for cardio? Do you recommend I continue with regular cardio as I was with increased duration instead?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Prerna


Answer
I would stick to HIIT for at least 6 weeks, it is effective then give yourself 6 weeks of steady state. You don't want to do much more than an hour of steady state at a time, because your volume requirement will only go up over time- and who wants to spend 3 hours at the gym?

Lela

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