Recently I was pretty lucky to be sent a complimentary Gymboss digital interval timer to use and I thought I’d write my thoughts and comments on using it. If you’d like to see what it is, you can learn more on their website. Click here for Gymboss.

I was a little nervous at first that it may be a little too complicated for me to use or too bulky to really carry around with me, but as soon as I opened it, gave the short instructions a quick read I found it to be really pretty simple, and being lightweight it easily can clip on to your shirt or a belt loop. The clip may also work for attaching to any home workout gear if you have it, such as a treadmill. Another bonus is it came with the AAA battery it required, so that was a nice surprise also!

The timer has three simple to use buttons, a “Next” a “Change” button and a “Start Button”. To use it for timing intervals, you simply press the Next Buttons and the Change buttons to move from each various setting on the screen. It doesn’t have a lot of complicated settings, just the number of minutes or seconds you want it to count, the number of times you want it to repeat each interval, and then what type of alarm you want to go off (such as a high beep, low beep, or vibration). The timer also has a stop watch feature, which I can’t wait to use on my kids…they for some reason love it when you time them for stuff and they need to “race the clock”.

Now, those of you who are new to exercising and working out might be a little confused as to what an interval timer is and exactly what you would use it for to get in shape. How does it help you to exercise?

If you’re just getting started in working out and taking a walk around the neighborhood is enough of a challenge, then that is great that you are starting to exercise, but you probably don’t need an interval timer for working out. If you’re a longtime LoseFree reader however and have been working out on a regular basis, then this might be something handy to use when exercising, especially if you always liked the idea of a personal trainer but never had one.

When you hire a personal trainer, they usually make you do certain activities for either a certain duration of time or for a certain number of times. For example, you might walk on the treadmill to warm up for five minutes minutes, then quicken the pace for another five, then sprint for five more. With an interval timer, you can set it off to go off every five minutes, which enables you to focus on your workout – without having to worry about counting time or minutes. You can also use it to help you with a number of other activities, such as Tabata Intervals, weight lifting, timing your speeds, and more.

I don’t think an interval timer is an absolute necessity for working out, especially if you’re just getting started. But if you’re serious about getting in shape and training, it can certainly be a useful little gadget for anyone looking to save money and be their own personal trainer.

As a double bonus, I’ve found I can set it as a timer for cooking also, which makes eating healthier a lot easier, too! (I have an old stove from the 1950′s, so I never had a kitchen timer – until now!) I’m sure there are many other little uses I’ll find it helpful for in the upcoming weeks.

If it’s something you think would be helpful for your workouts, you can check it out for yourself here. If not, well, at least you know what a digital interval timer is and how one can be used for workouts!