(While it's true that I have had brussel sprouts for the past two evenings, that's not what I'm talking about. Man, I LOVE brussel sprouts! I can't tell you how much I adore them. I buy them frozen, cover them with plastic wrap in a microwaveable bowl and nuke/steam. Add a little butter and a little salt and pepper. So good.)
Fartlek means "speed play" in Swedish. And it's a style of interval training that helps you increase aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
You know what I mean by interval, right? Let's say you're running down the road. You pick a mailbox and that's the starting point for running faster. Then you pick another mailbox and that's the end of running faster and you slow back down to regular pace.
Apparently, you burn more calories this way because 1) you're simply going faster and 2) your body doesn't get accustomed to a speed or a distance, so you keep it guessing and it has to keep adjusting.
The key is that the intervals are random. They don't occur at the same mailbox every day, in our example. Your interval can be distance (mailbox to mailbox) or time (60 seconds of fast, three minutes of fast, etc.).
I've started using this method in my swimming and bike riding, too. In the pool, I pick a random five or ten lengths and go hard. On my bike, I pedal like hell during commercials as I'm watching TV.
And, I gotta tell you. Those AARP and Colonial Penn reverse mortgage ads between 5-7 a.m. are LONG ones.
Do you fartlek? With or without brussel sprouts?
2 comments:
Gosh, I wish I liked brussel sprouts. They are so good for you. Beets and brussel sprouts - two veggies I can't seem to like.
I think fartleking is good. Keep it up!
I'm not a beet eater, either. I recently tried roasting them and that didn't do the trick. I will throw a slice or two on a salad if they're offered in the cafeteria ... just because I know they're good for me. But I can't say I enjoy them. Jim won't eat the adorable baby cabbages either. I just don't understand it.
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