I get it, honestly I do. You’re busy, you’re tired and you don’t have the time to get to the gym. You already have a ‘to do list’ that’s longer than the Great Wall of China and you’re struggling to find space in your jam-packed schedule to make exercising a priority. ‘If only there were 30 hours in the day!’ I hear you cry. That’s where HIIT (high-intensity interval training) becomes super helpful and should be your secret weapon in your fight to get fit.

HIIT-style workouts are quick and intense, consisting of bursts of high exertion followed by a recovery period, which is then repeated in an interval format.

The working phase of the interval, which should typically last between 10-60 seconds, should be short and sweet (or perhaps tough is better way to describe it!).

The recovery period should be just enough for your heart rate to come down a little, for you to catch your breath and to psyche yourself up to push through the next round. The true beauty of a HIIT workout however, lies in its total length — an entire HIIT session usually only last 20-30 minutes including your warm-up and cool down. So there goes all your excuses about not having enough time!

There are numerous benefits to HIIT. Aside from being efficient and getting the job done in a flash, it burns more fat than your regular, steady state cardio and increases your metabolism for the 24-hour period after you’ve worked out, meaning more calories are torched even whilst you’re resting. HIIT is also great for heart health and improving your cardiovascular system as it forces you to work anaerobically.

If you include some bodyweight resistance moves into the mix, such as push-ups and jump squats, you’ll be preserving important muscle mass too, so you’ll develop that desirable toned look.

Whilst you can use gym equipment as part of a HIIT routine, it’s not necessary at all. HIIT workouts are totally portable and can be done anywhere. In my opinion though, the best thing about HIIT is it gets rid of the boredom factor. Trust me, if you’re working as hard as possible and pushing to your limits, you’ll be so focused on the moment you won’t even have time to consider being bored.

HIIT classes are popping up all around the Island. The advantage of training in a group environment is that you’ll have a support network of training buddies and an instructor to coach and motivate you through the workout.

I challenge you to give a HIIT session a go! I won’t lie, the first couple of classes will be brutal, you’ll probably question your sanity for putting your body through such rigorous moves, you’ll likely want to quit — DON’T! It’s 30 minutes. You have 23-and-a-half hours left in the day to rest.

Persevere, get it done. It will be worth it, I promise!