Why slowing down your workout might be a good idea

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is all the rage in the fitness industry. It involves performing powerful movements, like sprinting or burpees, to get your heart rate up, which usually leaves you completely out of breath.

Now, there's a new trend in fitness that's the complete opposite: LISS, or low-impact steady state. You can grab your iPad or your favorite book, get on the elliptical and enjoy the movement.

It's the workout beginners use to start their exercise journey.

"You can go for a 30 minute walk, catch up with your girlfriends. You know have a chance to breathe. It's something that's absolutely doable, and it's doable five to seven days a week," said Train Station Fitness Studio personal trainer Dolores Palmer.

It's also the workout to help you get back in the game after an injury.

"I was overtraining and working too hard," said Train Station owner Liz Zamadics.

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After working in the exercise industry for years, Zamadics endured a back injury after overtraining.

"I'm now in that nursing phase where I'm taking care of my back," explained Zamadics.

Now, she does steady state cardio a few days a week to help her recover from her injury. LISS also has a low risk of causing a new injury.

Palmer says that a 30- to 45-minute workout of walking, cycling or using an elliptical has a high probability of burning fat.

On a scale of one to ten with ten being the hardest, you should be at a four or five during low-impact steady state. It isn't just a stroll, but you also shouldn't be out of breath. You should be able to hold a conversation the entire duration of your workout.

"It's great because it puts you at a level where you're constantly burning," said Palmer.

LISS is especially effective for those with high-stress lifestyles.

"Our cortisol levels tend to elevate during stress or lack of sleep. Even those high-intensity workouts raise up those cortisol levels. A steady state workout reduces stress, reduces those cortisol levels and make you feel really good," Palmer explained.

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She said it's okay to keep those high-stress, high-intensity workouts in your routine if you choose, but you should limit them to two to three days a week.

"Your steady state can be the recovery days," she added. "It actually makes everything a lot easier, as far as the stamina of what you are doing."