Time to get fit! HIIT workout series by Joanne Encarnacion! Part 1
Ready to get fit and challenge yourself both mentally and physically? This week we are lucky enough to have Joanne Encarnacion (@gofitjo) put together a high intensity interval training workout series – and it’s a tough one!
Jo is a fitness and lifestyle blogger from San Francisco, CA. Jo having once struggled with self-image has seen some amazing results with sheer determination and persistence! One rep at a time she is sharing her journey to a healthier and happier life.
A little more about Jo!
Why you first get involved in fitness?
The reason why I started this fitness journey in the first place was because 3 years ago when my daughter was 9 years old I called myself "ugly and fat" right after she complimented me in my outfit as we were getting ready to go out for the day. I did the #fattalk, the same fat talk that most of us women do with our girlfriends while out shopping in the dressing rooms. The moment those words came out of my mouth she had this look on her face that I WILL NEVER forget. It was as if I stole the only truth that she knew about her mother, that in her eyes I would always be the strong and beautiful woman she would look up to as an example to lead her own life. That moment I knew that I needed to rebuild my confidence, fight all the body image issues I had, and set the intention of getting healthier not only for me, but for my daughters.
Why you love living a healthy/active lifestyle and the benefits of doing so?
Living an active and healthy lifestyle has enabled and empowered me to become more confident in my everyday life. During the day I’m the Director of Curation for a company called VSCO and being active has truly allowed me to feel more creative and clear with the decisions I make in my work and personal life. Being active has allowed me to cope with my anxiety, exercise is my anti-depressant. It helps me in ways I can’t even imagine.
What is the one piece of advice that you would give to encourage anyone to start/continue a healthy and active lifestyle?
Never give up. I know that most people will say this and the words will touch and go at every point of your fitness journey, but engrave it into your soul. NEVER GIVE UP! The road is hard and there will be challenges you’ll have to face, but it will build so much character and inner strength. You’ll face physical challenges you once told yourself you didn’t have the ability to tackle and soon enough you’re accomplishing this. There’s something so amazing and incredible about movement. It can truly change someone’s world by giving them the confidence they need to carry on in life.
Regarding your workout, what is it fundamentally based around and what does it help to achieve and why should a workout of this sort be done and who will benefit from it?
I’m a huge fan of strength training with weights and plyometrics HIIT training. HIIT allows you to tap into the body’s fat stores and keep the after-burn going for a longer period of time helping you get to your fitness goals while still maintaining strength and muscle tone. I personally prefer HIIT over LISS cardio because it’s intense but done in a much shorter period of time. For plyometrics I like to incorporate resistance bands for the added challenge. Loop bands like The X-Bands is my must have in my gym bag for any of my glute shaping workouts.
Now for the workout!
Workout #1 - Monday: Incline Treadmill HIIT Sprints for 30 minutes
Find a free treadmill, set it for a 5% incline and get to it.
Description
- Warm up for 2 minutes on 3.0mph
- High intensity at 8.0-10.0 mph for 60 seconds
- Low intensity 4.5-6.0mph for 30 seconds
- Alternate between high intensity and low intensity drills until you have completed a total of 30 minutes
It’s a quick one but oh it’s a tough one! Workout 2 of Jos’ series will be released Wednesday - so be ready!
Don’t forget to check out Jos’ website and social platforms – I’m sure she’d love to hear how you go with her workout.
W: gofitjo.com
F: @gofitjo
I: @gofitjo
