You might feel like you are constantly sprinting from one place to another as a busy modern woman, but taking up sprinting as a form of exercise can provide your body with many benefits. Sprinting is a form of anaerobic exercise that can be added to your existing fitness routine for a few short minutes per week, as you don't have to spend a lot of time doing it to see results. Your heart is particularly affected by sprinting in positive way, which is important as you grow older and worry more about preventing heart disease.
Benefits
Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise that helps make your heart stronger, which lets your blood flow more easily through your veins, providing oxygen to your entire body. It also reduces stress, blood pressure and the chance that you will have a heart attack, while improving your immune system functioning. These benefits also occur when you participate in an aerobic exercise, such as jogging, but sprinting is a much faster way to see positive results in the way that your body functions.
Recommended Routine
The American Heart Association recommends that you do approximately 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day, five times per week. Do a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which includes normal cardio plus interval training or strength training exercises. Plan to spend at least 20 minutes of your time doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. You can add your sprints to the beginning or end of your aerobic workout sessions. Sprinting can be considered a strength training exercise as well as an anaerobic workout because it strengthens the heart.
Timeline
Your heart's health begins to improve soon after you begin an effective exercise program. Doing high-intensity interval training for as little as two weeks can help your body become more efficient in utilizing oxygen, which is good for your cardiovascular system. Plan to do two to four sessions of sprints per week for best results. Each session of sprints should last anywhere between five and 10 minutes total, including recovery time, depending on your current fitness level. Sprint as fast as you can for 60 seconds and then rest for two to four minutes. Repeat two to three times per workout session.
Other Considerations
Speak with your physician before engaging in an exercise program that is focused on heart health, especially if you have a history of medical problems or do not now exercise. Sprinting is a high-intensity activity that can be overwhelming if you are not prepared for it both physically and mentally. Start slowly and gradually work your way up to doing more each time you exercise.