Ready, Set, HIIT it!

My new thing I love looking forward to every day are my HIIT workouts. And that's saying something as I love to eat breakfast...and pretty much all food for that matter...so that's a top contender, too.

HIIT stands for "high-intensity interval training." HIIT is basically a big burst of intense activity for a short period of time. Don't let the time fool you, though. There's a reason it's so short. Head personal trainer at Ridge Fitness Taylor Selig knows HIIT workouts can be a doozy. But don't give up, even if it gets hard.

"Your legs still move. Your heart is still pumping blood. And your lungs are still processing air," Selig said. "You ain't dead yet so keep moving forward."

HIIT workouts are great to burn that extra fat and build endurance. Lately, all of my different workouts have attacked my body at its weakest points, which is good because I could use the practice.

Shape Magazine says HIIT workouts are especially great for those with a busy schedule (even more perfect for me).

Research shows you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (done three times a week) than the girl jogging on the treadmill for an hour. And according to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training.

Not only do you burn more fat with these intense workouts, but you also burn more calories. Plus, who wants to run on a treadmill for an hour? No thanks.

As we've talked about the bodyweight workouts before, Shape Magazine says you don't have to go to the gym to do HIIT.

Running, biking, jump roping, and rowing all work great for HIIT, but you don't need any equipment to get it done. High knees, fast feet, or anything plyometric like jumping lunges work just as well to get your heart rate up fast. In fact, some equipment like dumbbells can make HIIT less effective because you want the focus to be on pushing your heart to its max, not your biceps.

I used to walk on the stair mill after all of my lifts for at least 30 minutes. Now, I do HIIT workouts and am done in under 20 minutes. Not to mention, I feel great afterwards! Try it out for yourself! Here's a great beginning workout:

Three rounds of : 400 meter run, 30 air squats, 20 sit-ups and 10 push-ups.

This was my first HIIT workout ever, and yes, it kicked my butt. Don't be afraid to take breaks, either. It's definitely not a race, although I like to time myself so I have a goal to break the next time I do it. Comment below if you try it and let me know how it is!