continual vs. continuous

Having just said she was sick of discussing her famous derrière, Kim Kardashian chatted freely about the impact “Dancing with the Stars” may have on her toosh. “I’m hoping that it’ll firm it up and shape it up,” she told reporters.

Kim is exercising like never before, dancing eight hours a day with pro partner Mark Ballas. “I realize that when I would try to work out really fast, that I would be burned out,” she said. “I would work out for two days and then wait a few weeks and then workout for a few days again. I decided to stay focused and continuous and I started to see a major change.”

Here’s the deal. Continual means steadily repeated. Continuous means uninterrupted or unbroken. Eight hours of dancing is a long workout, for sure, but it does not constitute continuous exercise. Continual is usually the right choice. Few circumstances are truly unbroken. Here’s an example of one: “Kim experienced continuous muscle pain for two weeks and then she adjusted to the workout regime.”

Even though it may seem as though Kim continuously discusses her butt, she does pause to eat and sleep (and make home videos), so you’d have to say she discusses it continually.