There’s even more reason now to do a cardio high-intensity interval training: it boosts vascular health as you scarf down fatty meals. A study coming out of the University of Exeter found that the short, explosive movements of intense exercise pre-fatty meal consumption could improve blood vessel function. Better blood vessels don’t just help your heart stay healthy, it’ll give you stronger muscular endurance, and spur a stronger pump during your sets. It was known that exercise prior to eating a fatty meal helped blood function, but this study pin-points the type of exercise.
Just Workout Before
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Young individuals in the study either completed a moderate-intensity exercise or a high-intensity exercise before ingesting a fat-packed milkshake. The results: 25 minutes after completing moderate-intensity cycling, there was less of a decline in blood vessel function after consuming the shake. But in just eight minutes for the high-intensity cycling group, there was not only a preventative fall in blood vessel function but also a significant improvement in overall blood vessel function that was greater than the moderate-intensity exercise group.
Alan Backer, a research in the study says, “The intensity of exercise plays an important role in protecting blood vessel function in young people after the ingestion of a high fat meal.” What’s the lesson here my fellow gym-goers? If you plan to eat fatty foods, make sure to do a cardio HIIT session prior to eating — you’re body will thank you.
