High intensity workouts are known for being…
Well…
Intense.
These are the types of workouts you get where an instructor or personal trainer pushes you hard in the gym.
The types of workouts where you’re gasping for air, straining to lift the weight, and just in-general thinking to yourself—this is absolute misery.
Well, we recently caught up with someone who went from living a very unhealthy lifestyle to suddenly making a commitment to being in the gym every day, Monday through Friday, for a high intensity boxing workout.
And they reported some surprising, perhaps not so well-known benefits.
Here they are.
1. You’ll Stop Drinking As Much
According to this individual, drinking alcohol became too much of a liability in the face of such intense workouts.
“I used to drink quite a bit,” they said. “But once I started going to the gym, that stopped. I suddenly realized that drinking too much made the workouts feel so much worse. So I stopped drinking almost completely so that I wouldn’t suffer so much at the gym.”
As it turns out, all of this ‘cutting back’ on drinking also helps in other ays.
Drinking just gives you extra calories. Plus, it’s bad for your body in a whole range of ways.
This is most definitely a beneficial aspect of a high intensity workout program.
2. Your Diet Will Improve
This isn’t necessarily the same for everyone.
But for the person we interviewed, they said that going to the gym for such an intense workout everyday really made them rethink their diet choices.
“I didn’t want to eat something that would burn off and leave me feeling miserable during the workout,” they said. “Instead of donuts or pancakes, I wanted something that would give me lasting energy. I started eating more eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables.”
3. You’ll Realize That You’re More Capable Than You Used To Think You Were
When you hit the gym every day to put yourself through such an intense workout routine, you learn some things about yourself.
Our interviewee spoke about this as well.
“Some of those workouts were really hard for me. Had it not been for my coach, I would have definitely given up. But since they pushed me, and since I made it through, it made me realize that I’m capable of a lot more than I used to think I was. And that has given me some added confidence.”
4. It Gets Easier As You Develop It As A Habit
A lot of people give up in the first few days or weeks of a high intensity workout.
Why?
Because it’s really hard.
But our interviewee said that it gets easier.
“Being consistent and committed to this workout every day really helped to make the workout ‘not as difficult’ over time. And this made it less miserable and more ‘invigorating.’ Make no mistake, it’s still hard. But difficult effort becomes more bearable when you’re doing it every day. It truly becomes a habit.”