H.I.I.T. = H.G.H.?

Question
Rick
I am 53.
I have been exercising for years (I was always a jock) but am losing the battle of the bulge even though I am eating less and better than I did as a young guy-I blame genetics and old age.
I lift weights on alternate days which has helped me keep my strength up and  fairly firm, but decided to switch from the long runs to  H.I.I.T where  I run  like  hell for a minute than walk for three-repeated 5 times.
Its only been a couple weeks but my belt has come in a notch, and I I feel livelier and lighter on my feet. I dont look younger but I FEEL younger. I heard that HIIT is supposed to release human growth hormone-are these the effects?

Answer
HIIT methods are superior in the way that they will help burn off more body fat in the recovery phase from exercise, as opposed to the long-slow running. I have read here & there on the HGH factor as well, that this increase will help aid in the fat loss goals from doing HIIT.  I have been a big proponent of HIIT methods with my clients and athletes for over 10 years now, simply because it flat out works better than traditional methods.

Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://RocketSpeedTraining.com