As its name suggests, HIIT workouts are intense. When the proper precautions are taken (and good form is practiced), HIIT can definitely lead to weight lossbut when done too often or for too long, it can cause wear and tear on your body. So while experts agree that HIIT is a powerful weight loss tool, that doesn't mean every person on the planet who wants to lose weight should do it.
The truth is HIIT can put a lot of stress on your bodyso if you're going to do it, you need to be careful. Safely practicing HIIT means taking certain precautions, like keeping your stress levels down.
"I think HIIT is a great way to lose weight," says Amy Shah, M.D. "However, you want to make sure that the rest of your stress is under control. You don't want to go into this kind of exercise with high levels of stress."
It's worth noting that before doing any kind of workout, especially HIIT, you should be acutely aware of any pain or injuries. For example, if you know you have chronic knee pain and need something lower impact, you should probably avoid HIIT workouts. The same goes for if you straight-up hate HIITit's not worth forcing yourself to do it for the sake of losing weight. There are so, so many ways to lose weight that don't involve injury or making yourself miserable. Wouldn't you rather choose one of those?
"The best way to lose weight is always dependent on the individual," Schehr says. "Like most aspects of fitness and nutrition, there is not one way that is best for all."
"However, HIIT is beneficial for our brain health, cardiovascular fitness, and mobility," she mentions. "It yields all the benefits of any exercise with the added benefit of being shorter in durationhello, busy-day workout."
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Is HIIT The Best Way To Lose Weight? We Asked Experts To Weigh In - mindbodygreen.com
