Exercising with Purpose

High-Intensity Interval Training, by Neila Rey 

The Micro HIIT 7-day program is ideal for a busy week when fitting exercise in is a challenge. You can still stay active and get fitter, improve your cardiovascular system and your core with these seven easy-to-follow microworkouts. It is perfect for home training and it is hotel and travel friendly. 

It adds 150 extra minutes of training to your week without compromising your schedule.

I exercise daily, and draw on different types of exercises: from T'ai Chi and meditation, to aerobic, stretching and resistance.  I don't have a gym membership, but I do a complete routine that works perfectly for me and costs nothing (e.g., doing push ups, talking brisk walks).  So when I stumbled on Neila Rey's program on Google+, I was curious: not just from an exercise standpoint, but also in relation to The Core Algorithm.

I love her Introduction:

On my stream I share fitness and personal development related content but I also post fun stuff because I believe that laughing daily is just as important as keeping physically and mentally fit.
I do a lot of circuit and bodyweight training, running, boxing and martial arts. I believe in being versatile that way as much as being open to new experiences and new information.

I draw and design workouts and motivational posters and put together easy-to-follow no-equipment training programs. I do my best to make fitness as fun and as accessible as possible, provide solutions for maintaining health and well-being that are reasonable, easy to understand and to follow, and don’t cost you anything.

In person I am somewhat goofy and awkward, like Scrat from Ice Age. I love all things tech, video games, superheroes and science fiction in every shape and form. If it’s got magic and sword wielding, space or time travel, alternate or virtual reality... or Batman in it - I am sold! 

All of my posters and articles can be found at NeilaRey.com, my project’s official website I maintain and run. You can find all of my work - all of my workouts, fitness challenges, recipes, training programs and tips there. It’s a free, ad-free and product placement free health and fitness resource.

Rey does have quite a lot to offer on her website, and I really appreciate that.  The main thing, first of all, is to crystallize in your mind what you're trying to accomplish with your exercise:  Do you have a fitness goal, a weight target, or a health reason for exercising?  It may not be so clear at first, in fact it may take some time and effort before you've crystallized it.  But of course begin with the end in mind.

Second, walk backwards from where you want to be and map the pathway to where you are now.  The main thing about this step is to do only those things that truly work for you and allow you to accomplish your aims.  I often wonder how many times people secure an expensive club membership or dish out a lot for home gym equipment, and end up not using any of it:  It's too inconvenient, it's too far, or it's too boring.  For me, simple, convenient, no-cost works quite effectively.  I can weave an exercise session by walking to a meeting in downtown Chicago, for instance, instead of taking a taxi.  But you may prefer the focus, equipment, trainers and environment of a health club.  If so, and you have the budget, then go for it.  But this second step prompts you to assess honestly what you need vis-a-vis your end in mind.

Finally, it's all about Nike and just do it.  Now that you have mapped that pathway, walk it.  This is the nuts-and-bolts of getting something done.  This is where the rubber meets the road of accomplishing something.  This is the meat to the bone of anything else beforehand.  Analogies abound, yes.  But the guiding principle is doing what you need to do to reach your aims.

The following is a working - AME - guide:

• Ability.  What are you able to do, and what aren't you able to do, right now?  If Rey's HIIT program is too strenuous for you, then dial it down as far as you need to make it work for you, for example, maybe three rounds once a day.  You can build it up, as you get stronger or build your ability.  Of course if it's too easy, then you can readily raise the intensity by doing more rounds or reducing the rest period.
• Motivation.  This is what's in your heart, and it ties into your purpose or aims.  If it's something that is truly and honestly important to you, you will feel motivated.  There are of course a myriad of things that are important to our lives, so it's also a matter of choosing what makes the most sense for you to actually pursue.  Mine was the aggravation of being a bit heavy and stiff, that putting on winter clothing was quite a chore.  I needed to revise my exercise routine and raise the intensity.  
• Energy.  You have the ability, you have the heart, but how able is your body to make exercise happen?  I find that some people and their trainers have a major tendency to overdo exercise, especially at the start.  It may be ego-driven.  They may be so ambitious about reaching their aims that they lose track of where they really are now and what actually works for them.  Contrary to many motivational posts we see, we simply do not have an infinite reservoir of energy.  We must work with what we have, and be sure to rest, recover and replenish that energy.  

The reason this three-step process is an algorithm is because it doesn't prescribe what you ought to do with your exercise vis-a-vis aims.  It's actually a meta-method for deciding what methods will actually work best for you.  So keep this in mind as you scope Rey's program and her offerings.  She has chock-full on her website and on Google+, so you have a lot of options at your disposal.  Go for it mindfully and enthusiastically.