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To be fit—and get the health and body benefits that go with it—you have to invest time. But maybe not as much as you think. Minutes of intense training can deliver the same health benefits—and fat and calorie burning—as hours of steady, moderate intensity exercise.

You probably know about APOGEE’s new F.I.T. classes, including kettlebells, TRX and Tabata classes. They’re structured with repeated periods or intervals of intense training to create a time-efficient workout. The intensity can be physically and mentally tough, but the benefits are worth it. Here’s how vigorous workouts create results:

Go hard: Intervals are bouts of vigorous exercise that alternate with a period of rest: You can alternate one minute of walking with one of jogging, for example, or 30 seconds of pushups with 30 seconds of stretching. In one study, subjects biked hard—at 95 percent intensity—for one minute, then slowed down to almost nothing for one minute. They did this for 20 minutes three times a week and had the same positive body changes—calories and fat burned, aerobic capacity boosted—as subjects who had biked for five or more hours a week. That’s 60 minutes a week compared to five hours a week!

Then go easy: The rest intervals are important because it’s then that your muscles sweep away the waste products that can cause muscle soreness. It’s also hard to maintain high physical intensity for more than a minute or two; the rest period allows you to repeat the vigorous period, again and again, adding up those high-heart-rate minutes.

You’ll burn more fat and calories: Studies have shown that bouts of vigorous exercise burn more calories than steady exercise. Intervals have been shown to improve the way your body uses blood sugar, potentially lowering your risk of diabetes.

And accrue health benefits: Intervals stimulate many of the same changes as exercising at a steady pace. You’ll gain cardiovascular fitness, meaning more blood vessels form to deliver blood to muscles (including your heart muscle) and your fit muscles will work even more efficiently.

It’s not easy! Anyone can do intervals anywhere, but quite frankly, it takes a lot of mental discipline to perform the intense bits again and again—it’s tough! That’s why APOGEE F.I.T. classes are a good idea: You can hand over the discipline and motivation to someone else.

Be safe: Whether you’re on your own or in a class, you have to warm up for at least five minutes and cool down properly as well. And you should check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program, intervals included.

APOGEE F.I.T. at White Plains
APOGEE F.I.T. at Bedford Hills

At its essence, exercise is a solo endeavor: You move your body and it responds.

But when it comes to deciding whether or not to workout, how hard you will exercise and even how you feel after—that depends a lot on the people around you.

Exercising in a group, it turns out, has a powerful effect. When you’re deciding on when and where to do your daily sweat-and-strengthen, consider the following.

If you exercise in a group:

You’re more likely to show up: People who work out with others are more likely to show up, especially if they feel they are part of a community—perhaps they identify as being part of a class or studio or even know the names of their classmates. “People sign up to change their body,” says Susan Moran, senior vice president of Power Pilates, an APOGEE Wellness company. “But they make friends and receive energy from the community.

You feel better afterward: More endorphins? Researchers aren’t sure. But after rowers worked out in a group, they could withstand more pain than rowers who did the same routine on their own. (Researchers use pain threshold as a way of measuring endorphins; they actually squeezed the rowers’ arms really hard!).

You might even exercise more intensely. “When you’re alone there’s no one pushing you to the physical edge and that’s when change happens,” says Susan. In a class, you can get caught up in the group energy. “In our classes, we create a collective rhythm and a sense of community,” says Susan.

Your health will benefit: When you are socially connected to others, your body responds, says Woodson Merrell, M.D., APOGEE’s integrative health advisor, Participating in a social group—whether it’s a church or a fitness studio—has been shown to improve the function of your immune cells and boost production of cytokines (signaling molecules of your immune system) and other important hormones. “When you have a positive supportive community,” writes Dr. Merrell,” the good vibes, so to speak, resonate in your body.”

Find a group exercise class in White Plains and Bedford Hills.

Toned muscles, a strong core; cardiovascular fitness for health, stress relief or endurance for sports and recreation: Whatever your reason for working out, it’s results you want. If you exercise regularly and maintain the habit, you’ll begin to see and feel results in weeks. Here’s how.

Strength Training, Including Pilates:

If you’re a beginner: For the most rapid change, beginners should do Pilates twice a week.  “Pilates is a new physical language that you have to learn,” says Susan Moran, senior vice president of Power Pilates, an APOGEE Wellness company. Beginners will get results if they practice twice a week for an hour. “Just two hours a week—it will change your life!” says Susan.

Beginners can also strength train—with weights or other types of resistance—twice a week, says Jane Nielsen, APOGEE’s Fitness Manager. “It just takes 20 minutes,” says Jane. “You don’t need hours and hours.”

If you’re already active: Schedule in three weekly Pilates sessions and increase the frequency of your strength training to three or four times a week, says Jane. To allow your muscles a day to recover, don’t do the same exercises two days in a row, she says. “You might do lunges one day and work on inner and outer thighs the next,” says Jane. Ask an APOGEE trainer to create a list of exercises that challenge different muscles, reducing your risk of injury while working all of your muscle groups.

The exception: “You can work your abs every day,” says Jane.

Cardiovascular Training

Running, walking, cycling, striding on the elliptical, and indoor rowing build cardiovascular fitness, ease stress, reduce risk of chronic disease and help you maintain or lose weight.

If you’re a beginner: Schedule 30 to 45 minutes of cardio three to five times a week, says Jane.  Start with a goal that you are sure to accomplish; it’s better to be conservative and meet your goal than be ambitious and set yourself up for failure. “People say they want to workout six or seven days a week but that’s almost impossible,” says Jane.  Both APOGEE White Plains and Bedford Hills have a wide selection of group cardio classes to motivate you.

If you’re already active: Maintain a habit of 45 minutes of cardio five times a week. Ask an APOGEE trainer about making one or two of your workouts longer or more intense. Try a Spinning or Indo-Row class; there are challenges built into every session!

“Do cardio, Pilates and strength training every week and eat a healthy diet and you’ll look great,” says Jane. “Why wouldn’t you?”

There’s something new in our White Plains studio—perhaps you’ve seen a cluster of exercise machines, each with a long rail, a sliding seat and a round water tank. They’re our new rowing machines for Indo-Row®, APOGEE’s unique take on indoor rowing.

Rowing is one of the best routes to total fitness—not only is it an extraordinary cardiovascular workout, but it is a true total-body workout, activating your legs, core, back, shoulders and arms. With so much muscle mass recruited for each stroke, rowing is a huge calorie burner—up to 700 calories an hour. But because you’re seated, there’s no pounding stress on joints. And you can row easily or all-out—you decide how much effort to put into each stroke.

Indo-Row is the perfect complement to Pilates. The stroke is easy to learn, but as with Pilates, the more you concentrate on flowing movement, the greater your results. Your core acts as a link between your upper and lower body as you row; the stronger your core, the more powerful your stroke. “Indo-Row allows our clients to complement their Pilates experience with an exhilarating aerobic workout,” says Dr. Howard Sichel, executive vice president of APOGEE Wellness and founder of Power Pilates. “Our instructors ensure each class is high-energy, fun and challenging.”

Three things make APOGEE’s Indo-Row class stand out.

It’s Motivating
First, Indo-Row is a group fitness class, and APOGEE instructors use group dynamics for motivation—that’s where the team competitions come in. Instructors create short relay races to up the intensity. You also get support from the group. Because everyone is rowing at the same pace, it’s easy to keep the rhythm—even the sound of the rowing machines acts as a cue. “The greatest part of Indo-Row is the sense of community in the class,” says Sichel.

There’s Constant Feedback
APOGEE Indo-Row classes utilize the newest innovation in indoor rowing equipment. Indo-Rowers have a sealed water flywheel that provides smooth, constant resistance during each stroke. The exact resistance varies depending on how intensely you row. “What’s great about the Indo-Row machine is that an elite athlete can row next to a beginner at the same pace, and they will both get a great workout,” says Sichel. The water also creates a wave-like sound that is soothing, realistic and almost meditative. Each machine has a simple electronic read-out that gives you instant feedback on your effort.

You’ll Incorporate Pilates Moves
Most importantly, APOGEE instructors break up the 45-minutes of rowing with three Pilates-based interludes of strength, stretch and recovery exercises that keep you connected to your core and ensure your back, legs and shoulders stay supple, strong and healthy.

Let the rowing begin!

When you train with Pilates instructors at APOGEE White Plains and Bedford Hills or Power Pilates in New York (both APOGEE Wellness companies), you’re experiencing the teaching of Susan Moran. In 1995, Susan and Howard Sichel started Power Pilates, which quickly grew to include teacher education as well as individual and group client training. Now, Power Pilates is the leading educator of classical Pilates in the world. All of the Pilates instructors at APOGEE are trained in Power Pilates; in all, 7,000 Pilates instructors around the world are trained graduates. Susan continues to teach weekly classes in Manhattan, as well as lead workshops and instruct at industry events.

Pilates is a trend that never goes away. Why is it so enduring?

Susan: People begin taking classes because Pilates will give them the flat abs, improved posture and increased flexibility that they want. But they keep coming because of the way Pilates makes them feel: I say 30 days of Pilates will change your life because it heals you from the inside out—from a cellular level. People are happier because they feel better—they have more energy and are healthier. Feeling good will never go out of style!

Pilates is known for developing core strength, so why is the motto at Power Pilates “Movement Heals”?

Susan: Pilates exercises build core strength, yes, but primarily Pilates improves the health of the spine. In my early years of teaching I saw people’s health improve because of Pilates. When I was 23 I had a client with a lung disease. After practicing Pilates she went to the doctor and her lung function had increased 20 to 30 percent. Now I know why: The nerves that enervate the muscles and organ systems come from your spine. When you improve the health of your spine, every body system benefits. People breathe better, have improved digestion, endocrine function and more. It’s just like Joseph Pilates said: We have the power to heal ourselves!

Related articles:
Susan Moran teaches The Hundred (video)
Who Was Joseph Pilates?
The Principles of Pilates: Linking Mind and Body