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Committing to a regular fitness routine can feel daunting, especially if you aren\u2019t used to exercising consistently. But there\u2019s nothing wrong with starting small. In fact, new research reveals that just one workout<\/a> a week could result in meaningful fat loss over time.<\/p>\n The takeaway comes from a recent study published in Nature Communications<\/a>, in which the researchers investigated how exercise frequency affected total body fat mass. The researchers enrolled 315 adults and split them into three groups, each of which was given a 32-week exercise intervention. One group completed a single, 75-minute session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT<\/a>) per week; a second group completed the same amount of HIIT, but spread it across three shorter sessions. The remaining group, which served as a control, received biweekly health education classes. Ultimately, the researchers found that both HIIT groups showed meaningful decreases in body fat compared to the control group.<\/p>\n So, what does that mean for your workout routine? Ahead, experts break it down.<\/p>\n Meet the experts:<\/strong> Anna Di, D.C., C.E.S.<\/a>, corrective exercise specialist, chiropractor, and owner of UNITY Chiropractic Wellness in New York City; Patricia Greaves, C.P.T.<\/a>, certified fitness trainer, precision nutrition coach, and founder of StrongHer Personal Training<\/p>\n Why are the findings significant?<\/p>\n \u201cI think the major takeaway from this study is that whether you only have time to exercise once a week or three times a week, adding HIIT workouts<\/a> can produce meaningful improvements in total body fat and waist circumference,\u201d explains Anna Di, D.C., C.E.S.<\/a>, corrective exercise specialist, chiropractor, and owner of UNITY Chiropractic Wellness in New York City. \u201cThat\u2019s encouraging because a lot of people think that if they can\u2019t work out several days a week, it\u2019s not even worth trying. This study suggests that doing something is definitely better than doing nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest barriers I hear from clients is not having enough time in their busy schedules,\u201d adds Patricia Greaves, C.P.T.<\/a>, certified fitness trainer, precision nutrition coach, and founder of StrongHer Personal Training. \u201cThis study suggests that 75 minutes of vigorous exercise over the course of a week (either one session or three sessions equaling 75 minutes) can produce meaningful results in fat loss and improved cardiovascular fitness.\u201d<\/p>\n The results also show that a high workout frequency likely matters less than sticking to a more manageable plan over time. \u201cConsistency matters more than trying to overcommit to exercising four to five times a week and giving up when adherence becomes too difficult,\u201d Greaves explains.<\/p>\n Does HIIT exercise have other benefits?<\/p>\n Potential fat loss isn\u2019t the only reason to consider incorporating HIIT workouts into your weekly mix. \u201cStudies show HIIT can improve cardiovascular fitness, improve blood sugar control<\/a>, and support your muscles\u2019 ability to produce energy more efficiently. It is also more effective at burning calories in less time than steady-state cardio,\u201d Greaves explains. \u201cWhen resistance training<\/a> is used in HIIT, it can also help preserve lean muscle. For many adults, HIIT is an efficient way to improve overall health, fitness, and longevity<\/a> without spending hours in the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n Di adds that HIIT can also offer plenty of mental benefits, as it boosts your mood by releasing endorphins. \u201cAnother benefit is that it doesn\u2019t have to be done alone,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can take a class and make it a social activity, which helps some people stay consistent… The best workout is usually the one you\u2019ll actually enjoy enough to keep doing.\u201d<\/p>\n But just like any type of exercise, HIIT won\u2019t be for everyone. Greaves warns people with unmanaged hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and orthopedic limitations\u2014or who aren\u2019t used to regular exercise\u2014against starting vigorous workouts without consulting a doctor first.<\/p>\n Add Prevention as a preferred source in your Google search results.<\/p>\n Use your Google account to add this to your settings.<\/p>\n Add to Google settings<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to remember that the same exercise can affect people differently. \u201cI work primarily with women in perimenopause and menopause, and while HIIT can be beneficial, doing too much high-intensity exercise without enough recovery may leave some women feeling overly fatigued,\u201d Greaves explains. \u201cThis is especially true if they\u2019re already experiencing poor sleep, hot flashes<\/a>, or elevated stress due to hormonal imbalances from perimenopause and menopause.\u201d<\/p>\n While HIIT may be beneficial, balancing it with other types of exercise like yoga, Pilates<\/a>, and strength training<\/a> often offers the best results.<\/p>\n Is working out once a week enough?<\/p>\n The study\u2019s results show that just one workout a week can promote fat loss. But is that actually enough exercise for your overall health? It depends. \u201cI think it\u2019s a great place to start, but ideally you\u2019re exercising more often than that,\u201d Di says.<\/p>\n First of all, while fat loss may be desirable for some people, it\u2019s not a good barometer of overall health. \u201cThere really weren\u2019t major differences between the groups when it came to body weight, blood pressure<\/a>, glucose, cholesterol<\/a>, or triglycerides over the course of the study,\u201d Di says. \u201cThat\u2019s a good reminder that improvements in health aren\u2019t always reflected by the number on the scale.\u201d (Additionally, Di notes that while the researchers attempted to isolate HIIT exercise as the variable, natural fluctuations in the participants\u2019 diets and lifestyles may have also played a role in the results.)<\/p>\n In fact, Greaves notes, \u201cthe participants who worked out three times a week had slightly better results in fat loss and cardiovascular fitness,\u201d despite completing the same amount of exercise overall. \u201cWhile once a week is better than none, exercising consistently throughout the week leads to greater health benefits,\u201d she says. \u201cExercise not only should serve the purpose of fat loss; it should also improve strength and metabolic health.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, experts say the most important thing is to keep up with your routine, so taking baby steps is better than overcommitting yourself too soon. \u201cThe more consistently you move throughout the week, the more your body adapts, and the less likely you are to get injured because movement becomes something your body is used to instead of something it only does occasionally,\u201d Di explains.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter consistency is achieved, the ideal goal is to gradually increase overall activity to support long-term health, longevity, and vitality,\u201d Greaves adds. \u201cCurrent physical activity guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, along with at least two days of strength training<\/a> per week.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Greaves and Di recommend working up to a balanced routine that incorporates a few sessions of different types of exercise each week. \u201cFind activities that you genuinely enjoy because you\u2019re much more likely to continue doing them,\u201d Di suggests.<\/p>\n The bottom line<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest takeaway is that if you\u2019re busy, don\u2019t let that stop you from exercising altogether,\u201d Di says.<\/p>\n The results are encouraging for people who may be intimidated by the prospect of creating a steady workout routine from scratch. \u201cMy overall advice is to stay consistent, don\u2019t be afraid to mix things up, and remember that building a lifelong habit is much more important than finding the perfect workout,\u201d Di says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5 min read Key Points Scientists say you may not need to work out every day to lose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[153417,153418,263755,3579,265291,343,18,346,135,19,17,201411,590,160258,265290,240005,157003],"class_list":["post-628509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-collection-health-news","tag-collection-health-studies","tag-collection-weight-loss-tips","tag-content-type-news-explainer","tag-contentid-d2605684-f6aa-43ee-b17c-72901499457d","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-eire","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-read_time-6","tag-shorttitle-1-hiit-workout-a-week-could-help-with-fat-loss","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-fitness-tips"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117065343436666237","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Google\"](\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/social\/google.1467f37.svg\")
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