Basic Pursuits

Run/walk Backwards

Find yourself a field or track or empty parking lot. Set your course before you start. Walking or running backwards is not a good time to explore. I like to find a big circle, but back and forth will do.

Walk or run (you pick your speed) backwards. Glance over your shoulder from time to time to make sure you chose a good course. Keep our knees slightly bent for extra conditionaing in the knees.

In the "keep is simple" department by way of "stuff I thought but couldn't prove" department, here is "proof" that short but intense exercise sessions are really good for you.

"Rigorous exercise of short duration can significantly affect the body's ability to process sugars and fight diabetes..." said WebMD citing a new study.

I took some measurements before starting my six-week Tabata experiment. These metrics would not stand up to peer review, but they are interesting nevertheless. I believe that they reveal modest muscle growth in my arms and legs. This makes sense considering that most of the Tabata exercises involved legs, and I did pull-ups and chin-ups very often to warm up.

Recently I completed a six week regimen of Tabata intervals. A Tabata interval is 20 seconds of vigorous exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Eight intervals, four minutes, make up a Tabata workout. I chose six weeks because that was the length of time that Dr. Tabata and his team chose for their experiment. My goal was to determine if the four-minute Tabata interval combined with a six minute warm-up and a five minute cool-down would make for an effective exercise routine. I'm looking for fitness in under 20 minutes a day.

Just over three weeks ago I decided to devote my exercise program exclusively to Tabata Intervals. This technique is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program developed by Japanese exercise physiologist, Izumi Tabata. I like it because, if Tabata's research is correct, you can get a lot done quickly.