Bridal Lifestyle: HIIT Workouts for the Busy Bride

Why hello there –
Today I wanted to tell you guys about my favourite favourite favourite way to workout and hopefully provide some inspiration for those of you brides who are looking for fun ways to get active 🙂
My Story
Like most brides, after the feverish of excitement of getting engaged died down I started to think about how I wanted to look in my wedding dress. Yes I wanted to lose weight and get in shape but I also had some time so I wanted to make sure I did it in a healthy way.
So I started to hit the gym but only problem is that I get bored very quickly and all of a sudden I was starting to dread 40 minutes on the treadmill. I also wasn’t seeing results as soon as I would’ve liked which made me lose my bridal motivation.
This is when I came across HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training as I scrolled through Facebook one day. For those who don’t know HIIT – as far as I understand as full disclaimer I’m not a fitness professional – is a style of training where you do intervals of intense exercise interspersed with short recovery periods. They usually last around 15-30mins and are great for improving your stamina and burning fat.
So kudos goes to my friend Sonia for posting this on her Facebook page with a description that said “who doesn’t have 16 minutes to workout?” and I was feeling lazy so the idea of a workout that only took 16 minutes had me reeling with joy. Was it a shortcut? Not exactly.
Those 16 minutes were filled with squatting, sweating and quite literally squealing from pushing myself so hard but I have to say I felt amazing as I collapsed onto the floor in a heap afterwards. Those 16 minutes were so much more aerobically effective than dawdling along on the treadmill and counting the minutes until it was over! It’s now been 4 months since I’ve been doing HIIT workouts 4-5 times a week and I’ve lost about 5 kilos without doing changing anything particularly dramatic about my diet and just eating sensibly.
5 Reasons to try HIIT Workouts:
1. They’re short! And no that does not mean they are easy by any capacity but they are super easy to squeeze into a busy schedule of work, social obligations and of course wedding planning.
2. It’s easy to get started – you can find a plethora of resources for HIIT workouts online to get you started and it is easy to Youtube things you’re not sure of. The two resources I used to get started were my friend Sonia’s amazing workouts on the Bangalore-based iheartblr.com which can find here and HIIT: A Beginner’s Guide by Sarah Ivory which I picked up in Spinneys!
3. Variety. I’ve actually started to really love working out and a lot of that is because with HIIT I feel like I’m doing something new every time – for example you choose between an cardio blast session, a weights-based one or running sprints and I am always challenging my body in new ways.
4. You don’t need anything to start AND you can do them at home. I literally did my first HIIT workout in my living room without any equipment whatsoever. In my experience, the more you cut out the excuses of “I don’t have any time” or “I can’t afford a gym membership” the more reason you find to get off your butt and just do it.
5. They work! I don’t want to blow my own trumpet but I have definitely seen results. My body shape has changed, I’m down a jeans size and I feel amazing. Next step – dress shopping!!

Get Started
If you want to give it a go, here is an example of a HIIT Workout that I would do that requires no equipment. Please remember to consult a fitness professional or doctor if you have any pre-existing conditions or are unsure of anything:
Do the following as fast as you can without breaks and time yourself. Aim for around 6mins.
30 Squats / 15 Jump Squats / 15 Push Ups / 10 Burpees / 1min Plank / 20 Jump Lunges / Static Squat 45 secs
Repeat 3 times and rest for 1 minute between sets.
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Have a great day lovelies, I’m off to the gym 🙂