Can you really get fit in FOUR MINUTES every day? It's the hot new exercise craze. And amazingly, it worked for our (exhausted) guinea pig

Like most women who describe themselves as 'curvy', I've searched for years to find a way to get fit and lose weight that actually works.
A generous size 14 for most of my adult life, I've tried  everything from aerobics to zumba - without success.
Maybe it's because I have no willpower: I never say no to a biscuit, for example. Or perhaps it's my lack of motivation - even though I can find plenty if cake is involved.
All these play a part, but what I lack more than anything is time and patience.

Tabata promises to transform your body with just four minutes of exercise a day

I love a quick fix. So, the idea of slaving away in a hot gym for the government's recommended five half-hour sessions of exercise a week is my worst nightmare.
I'm not alone. In studies, the number-one reason why people give up a fitness regime is that they're too busy. Losing weight involves dedication and hard work.

 

For this reason, I'd long resigned myself to always buying knickers that said 'large' on the label. At 5ft 4in and weighing 10st 6lb, I have a BMI of 25.04, which classifies me as overweight.
But then I heard about Tabata. Dubbed the 'four-minute miracle' workout, it promises to transform your body with just four minutes of exercise a day. It sounded too good to be true - I had to try it.

At 5ft 4in and weighing 10st 6lb, Jenny had a BMI of 25.04, which classified her as overweight

Personal trainer Ben Camara introduced Tabata workouts to clients at his No  1 Fitness gyms and offered to show me the ropes.
A former professional footballer, Ben explained that Tabata is named after the Japanese scientist Izumi Tabata, who tested which kind of exercise works best on two different groups.
The first pedalled an exercise bike as fast as possible for four minutes a day - made up of eight 20-second bursts, with a break of ten seconds between each burst.
The second group pedalled at normal speed for an hour. After doing this five times a week for several weeks, the Tabata training group had improved their fitness way beyond the others.
The conclusion? Just four minutes of daily Tabata-style exercise could be better for you than 60 minutes in the gym. Brilliant. Plus, you can do a Tabata routine with any kind of exercise - the only rules are that you must follow the '20 seconds activity followed by ten seconds rest-format'; and you must exercise as hard as you possibly can. And that's it. 
To get started, Ben suggested something 'simple' - 20 seconds of squats followed by ten seconds of rest, followed by another 20 seconds of squats... until I'd been exercising for four minutes.
I thought: how hard can that be? But just seconds in, I discovered placid Ben had a shouty side. I'd managed  ten squats in 20 seconds, but apparently I wasn't squatting as fast as I could.
For the second burst, I managed 12 squats in 20 seconds - but even that didn't pass muster. By the fifth burst, I was hitting 14 squats and my thighs  were on fire.
The ten-second rest breaks weren't enough to catch my breath, but at least I only had three more rounds to go. By the time the four minutes were up I felt sick, dizzy and couldn't speak. Ben was delighted. That's exactly how you should feel after Tabata, he enthused.
He suggested trying some other exercises, Tabata-style. We headed to a stationary  bike where Ben told me to try to hit 20mph. Again, I did my sets of 20-second bursts of activity interspersed with ten seconds of rest.

Ben was shouty: 'I'd managed ten squats in 20 seconds, but apparently I wasn't squatting as fast as I could'

Calling it 'rest' is misleading - it was ten seconds of wide-eyed gasping. Over the next half hour, we ran through several alternative four-minute routines involving lunges, press-ups, kettlebell weights, and two pieces of sophisticated torture equipment - TRX straps and the ominously-named Vipr (pronounced 'viper').
The TRX straps hung from the ceiling, and supported my weight while I performed arm-wrenching rowing and pulling moves; while the Vipr was a giant black plastic glorified loo roll that weighed a ton and which I carried while doing sideways lunges - making the exercise harder.

During my four-minute Tabata session each  day, Ben reckoned I should be combining two different exercises.
For example, doing four 20-second sets of squats, then four 20-second sets of press-ups, to work both my upper and lower body. It was agony - but it was over surprisingly quickly.
It really helped knowing exactly how many more seconds I had to endure the pain for. Once I'd caught my breath, I couldn't believe that was all I had to do.
On days two, three and four, I tried sit-ups mixed with skipping. But frustratingly the needle on the bathroom scales didn't budge. So, I stepped things up and on day five I had a go at speed cycling.
By the end of the week, a funny thing happened. No, not smashing the living room lampshade, during an enthusiastic skipping session - I started enjoying my Tabata time. Not only that, but I'd lost 2lb.

WEEK 2

Anyone with high blood pressure or heart condition should check with their GP before doing this

When Ben rang for an update, I was keen to find out why Tabata works.
Ben gave me lots of scientific explanation but the upshot is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) such as Tabata increases your aerobic (lung) capacity and your anaerobic capacity (how long you can exercise for at maximum effort).
Also, because Tabata training builds muscle, your metabolic rate - the speed at which your body breaks down fat and burns calories - increases in the 24 to 36 hours after doing it.
So, you lose weight quicker.
Impressed, I contacted Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and author of Live Longer, Look Younger In 20 Easy Steps, to ask if Tabata is medically a wise idea.
She said anyone with high blood pressure or a heart condition should check with their doctor before doing exercise this vigorous - especially as some experts believe you should only do two Tabata sessions a week.
By day ten, I'd lost 3lb, and had actually started looking forward to my torture sessions.
And by day 14 I was thrilled when I hopped on the scales to find I'd lost 4lb - and shaved 2cm from my waist and 3cm from my tummy. My BMI was also down to a healthier 24.36.
OK, so I'm not fit enough to run a four-minute mile yet, but I'm getting there - and I actually want to do more than four minutes a day.
If this carries on, I might even have to ditch the Bridget Jones-style undies...