Burn Calories All Day with this Easy Exercise Tip

We all know the benefits of exercise. Of course it’s good for you. So, why don’t we all do it? No time, no desire, it’s boring. Personally, I don’t really love exercising. However, I do it almost every day. As with everything I do in my life, I prefer the quickest but most effective way to get results.

We’re all busy and don’t necessarily have hours to exercise. After a bit of research and lots of personal experimentation, I found a way to get the most bang for my buck. The best part? It really works (for ANYONE—from age 8 to 80), and the short time flies by so quickly that you’re done before you know it!

It’s called High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. The gist is to implement short bursts of exertion followed by rest and recovery.¹

Wait a minute… isn’t it just easier to do a steady stream of cardio for a certain amount of time? When you do that, you burn fat. Sounds good, right? Well, by burning fat, you’re signaling to your body that it needs fat to burn to get through the cardio.

In essence, it trains your body to make more fat in preparation for the next time you exercise. It then becomes efficient at preserving fat for the next endurance workout. So yes, you will start releasing excess fat at first… and then it becomes more difficult as your body adapts. That’s why many people reach a frustrating plateau—and if they stop doing moderate cardio, they tend to gain weight quickly. Yuhhuh.

Conversely, for long endurance cardio such as long-distance running, the body becomes so efficient at preserving fat that it begins burning muscle and even organs for energy. That’s why many distance runners are so thin. Their organs, such as the heart and lungs, shrink in size, becoming more efficient—but at the cost of reserve capacity.

Here’s the concern: greater efficiency = less reserve capacity. This means that during stressful situations, like a sudden emotional shock or illness, their hearts operate dangerously close to their maximum output.² That could explain why long-distance marathoners like Jim Fixx died of heart attacks. Their hearts were trained to handle hours-long jogs—but not the kind of powerful bursts needed in emergencies.

Now here’s where HIIT shines: it turbocharges your metabolism because your body needs extra energy to repair muscles, replenish fuel stores, and bring everything back to balance.³

This “afterburn effect”—officially called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)—means you can continue burning calories for hours, even up to a full day after your workout. That’s a workout that keeps on giving.⁴

According to Dr. Al Sears in his book P.A.C.E.: The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution,⁵ high-intensity intervals are like revving up an engine so it continues working efficiently and burning fuel even after the ride is over.

And ladies, you’re going to love this—short bursts of intensity training also trigger a release of your “Fountain of Youth Hormone”—human growth hormone (HGH). I think we all want a shot of that!

HGH is produced by the pituitary gland and helps with muscle, bone, collagen regeneration, and fat metabolism. As we age, our natural production of HGH drops, contributing to signs of aging: wrinkles, weight gain, fatigue, muscle loss, brain fog, and a weaker immune system.⁶

If you want to lower body fat, boost your energy, improve muscle tone, firm your skin, and even enhance performance, HIIT could become your best-kept anti-aging secret.

Getting Started

First, you’ll need a timer to cue your bursts and recoveries. You can use your phone’s timer, but it can get clunky. I use a free app called Interval Timer. I set it up once years ago—one and done—and haven’t touched it since.

No fancy equipment required—unless you want it. If cardio isn’t your thing, start with just 12 minutes. Don’t exceed 20.

I personally cap mine at 20 minutes. Here’s my method:

• Warm up for 2 minutes (ex: jog in place)
• Do a burst of max intensity for 20–30 seconds
• Recover with slow movement until the next even minute
• Repeat for 20 minutes (9 sets total)

Pro Tip: As you go through your bursts, imagine a dial turning up your vitality with every second. Feel the shift in your energy and know your body is responding immediately, even if you can’t see it just yet.

By the third burst, you’ll feel it—sweating, breathing hard, and alive.

You can choose any movement for your bursts: power walking, sprinting, jumping jacks, lunges, squats, pushups—whatever suits your level. Machines work too: elliptical, treadmill, bike—it all counts if you push hard and recover fully.

You might even mix it up: squats, toe touches, burpees, etc. Change it often to keep it fun.

You only need 3–4 sessions a week. That’s right. Just a few 12-to-20-minute workouts and you’ll start to notice the shift—inside and out.

And remember: movement doesn’t have to be intense every time to be meaningful. I also walk daily, and love pickleball, biking, and swimming. Movement + sunshine = magic. We’ll dive deeper into that in the next chapter, D–Dig Deep.

Why It Matters

Not moving has consequences. Muscles weaken. Joints stiffen. Balance falters. Simple tasks become harder.

And it affects more than your body—it impacts your mood, energy, and mental clarity. You might feel foggy, anxious, or more tired—but it might not be “just aging.” It could be that your body is begging for movement.

The great news? It doesn’t take much to turn that around. Just move. Stretch while the coffee brews. Dance while brushing your teeth. Walk while listening to a podcast.

Your body is designed to move—and when you give it that chance, even in small ways, it remembers. It responds. It rewards you with strength, clarity, and that undeniable spark of feeling fully alive.

And of course, whenever starting a new exercise regimen, always consult your doctor