If you don’t give your body time to recover, it takes time to repair itself, explains Dr. Reilly. (Even on the days when you don’t exercise, you’ll probably end up pushing it a little if you try to do more than your body is used to.) He recommends planning exercise and recovery time into your day as a better option than squeezing it in between other tasks. 3. Take a week off after you hit the 30% mark. This strategy should be obvious, but after you’ve been doing HIIT, Dr. Reilly says you need to give your body a break. “If you do 30 minutes, take a day off,” he says. 4. Keep your cool. When you start a HIIT workout, you probably won’t be using your full range of motion or feeling 100%. “People start out thinking they’re too sore, but it is completely normal,” says Dr. Reilly. If you can do it correctly, you should be feeling it in the right places. 5. If you’re feeling pain or discomfort, there’s a chance you’re pushing yourself too hard. If you’re sore, that’s a sign you’re either going too hard or doing the exercise wrong, he says. If it’s too easy, it means you’re doing it right. As always, listen to your body and don’t be afraid to ask for help from an instructor. 6. You shouldn’t be feeling sore the day after you run, says Dr. Reilly. “Every time you do the exercise, the muscles become stronger.” The soreness you feel when you first start the exercise will decrease as you get used to the workout, he explains. The longer you do it, the more fatigued the muscles become, and eventually they will reach a point where they have to rebuild themselves. 7. A HIIT workout is hard on your breathing. Your body uses more oxygen when you’re working hard, so your breathing gets deeper and faster. Dr. Reilly says that the goal is to keep your breathing from getting too shallow, so that you’re breathing evenly, but if it’s really hard to keep up, it’s OK to slow your breathing down a little. In fact, that’s exactly what he’ll tell you to do if you’re too breathless. 8. If you can’t catch your breath after a couple of seconds of recovery, you should rest more. It’s OK to take a couple of recovery breaks if your breathing is really difficult after you finish a set of jumping jacks, because it means your body is in shock, says Dr. Reilly. 9. Be gentle with yourself if you feel lightheaded or dizzy after you do HIIT. The heart is one of the body’s most important organs and it’s easy to lose control of it when it’s trying to handle the stress of intense exercise. “They’re good for the heart, but they’re going to stress your heart,” says Dr. Reilly. 10. Don’t do HIIT every single day. While HIIT can be a fantastic way to burn off calories quickly, Dr. Reilly says that extreme HIIT can do damage to your cardiovascular system. “It’s better to do two HIIT days a week and one strength workout day.” Even if you’re just getting started on your fitness journey, HIIT is an excellent workout if you like high intensity workouts and you are committed to not skipping your cardio workouts. You may be sore after doing HIIT, but this soreness will likely fade as you get used to your new workout routine. Once the soreness starts to go away, your body will adapt to this workout and you’ll be in the best shape ever! It’s often thought that you have to work hard to stay in shape. But how do you stay motivated to work hard? How do you keep the feeling of accomplishment when all you want to do is lie on your couch and watch TV? Here are a few ways that you can get motivated to workout and stay motivated during those rough days. 1. Make it a Game Don’t want to go to the gym but you really want that beer? Set a goal for yourself to start a beer drinking challenge with your friends. Every time you go to the gym during the time you normally would be drinking beer you will save your friend a beer. The longer you make it last, the more beer you will save, the better you will feel, and the more likely you are to keep going to the gym on your own terms. 2. Sign up for a Class Many fitness facilities offer classes, and these classes can give you a goal to work towards that you will see over the course of a couple weeks. They will offer a variety of workouts, so you will get the opportunity to try something you might have not thought about before or you could work towards an intense workout that gives you a good chance to really challenge your fitness level. 3. Have a workout buddy Having someone else hold you accountable can go a long way towards keeping you on track. It can be even more motivating if you work out together and you can keep each other motivated. Having someone to talk to about the good times and what has been stressing you out can help keep you motivated if you are having a bad week. 4. Create an accountability group Find some other people in your area who are trying to stay in shape and do the same activities as you, and commit to exercising with each other for a period of time. If you are at a fitness center it can be helpful to sign up for some group classes or meet-ups where you can all go and hang out or workout together. You will get to know the other people in the class and you will have people to exercise with who are motivated to keep you motivated. 5. Make it Social If you are not motivated to work out alone, why not make it social? Find a place in the area where you can work out in a group with other people, or start a group fitness class. Not only will working out with others give you motivation, but if the group is challenging and you don’t want to make excuses for being the last person to finish the workout, then you have a built in support system to keep yourself motivated. 6. Use Free Weight Exercises Using free weight exercises, such as dumbbells, barbells and kettle bells, can help motivate you. Use the weight as your guide so that the amount you can lift is always increasing. This will help keep you motivated