How hard workouts can benefit the mind.

 Among Garry Y. Itkin’s favorite things about going hard on workouts are the mental benefits it carries for him. He explains that these benefits aren’t more evident than when he does HIIT and CrossFit routines. 

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Here are some examples of how hard workouts can benefit the mind.

Lowered stress levels: Any workout is a great stress-reliever. However, Garry Y. Itkin notes that the more intense the exercise, the more a person can release their pent-up stress. Hard workouts also cause the brain to release endorphins, which puts a person in a much more positive frame of mind.

Better sleep: Mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and the like all affect a person’s sleep, which in turn affects their physical and mental well-being. Hard workouts have the power to tire a person out to the point that they will be able to catch some much-needed sleep. 

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Increased self-appreciation: Garry Y. Itkin mentions that one of the most pleasant benefits that people received from regularly doing HIIT and CrossFit routines is developing a healthy appreciation for themselves and their bodies. With all the positive physical results, people who do these hard workouts see themselves in a different light, with much more confidence.

The benefits of HIIT for the younger generation

Garry Y. Itkin has always been all about health and fitness, despite the immense demands of college life. In building and rebuilding his lifestyle to suit his hectic schedule, he considers a number of factors. One of the most important of these factors is time. For example, when it comes to fitness routines, oftentimes in terms of duration, shorter means better.

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This is why Garry Y. Itkin chooses and highly recommends high intensity interval training (HIIT) to his fellow college students. For the uninitiated, HIIT is an anaerobic workout routine that is comprised of compound movements designed to push a person to his limits in a short period of time. There are short intervals of rest as well between these high intensity sets. Simply put, HIIT puts in hours of exercise in a span of minutes.

Now, this has three benefits, as enumerated by Garry Y. Itkin below:

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1. HIIT workouts are known to burn fat and calories like no other workout in town.
2. HIIT workouts supercharge a person’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems, while also providing extreme strength training for the muscles and joints.
3. HIIT workouts are incredibly time-efficient, leaving people with a lot of free time to do the things they need to do everywhere else.

However, Garry Y. Itkin suggests that people consult with their physicians first before trying out HIIT.