There's no doubt that exercise and a nutrient-dense diet low in saturated fat play important roles in reducing your risks for developing heart disease, but like so much health information, there is more to the story for active individuals.
Studies, including one from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicate that moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking may be enough to help sedentary people reduce their disease risks, but that more active individuals need to incorporate more vigorous exercise to see further benefits. In other words, to maximize the protective impact of exercise, you have to push the pace, and intervals are the perfect way to do that.
While competitive athletes utilize a wide variety of intervals to accomplish specific training goals, the type everyone should incorporate for improved performance and health are long, steady, and sustainable. The goal is to accumulate a lot of time at this elevated intensity over the course of time. Even though it's broken down into intervals, this accumulated time at higher intensity drives your body to make real changes in your cardiovascular system, muscles, and even nerves.
Try this: Warm up with at least 10 minutes of easy to moderate level activity before starting any intervals. Then bring your intensity up to about 7 on a scale of 10 (10 being an all-out sprint). It should feel like a challenge to maintain this pace. Your breathing should be labored but you shouldn't be panting uncontrollably. Start by staying at this pace for eight minutes, and then slow down to a jogging/light pedaling intensity for eight minutes of recovery. Repeat the interval. As you get stronger, you can increase the length and number of intervals. Three ten-minute intervals is a good goal to shoot for, but don't progress too fast. You want to maintain the right intensity/pace throughout each interval before you add more time.
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