AEROBIC ACTIVITIES MUSCLE STRENGTHENING ACTIVITIES

Start slow and work your way up to more moderate exercise, and remember some physical exercise is better than none.

• Dancing

• Swimming or water aerobics

• Jogging or running

• Aerobic classes

• Some forms of yoga

• Bike riding

• Yardwork such as raking or mowing

• Sports like tennis, basketball or golf

• Exercises using resistance bands

• Weight machines or hand weights

• machines or hand weights

• Body-weight exercises (pushups, squats, etc.)

• Digging, lifting and carrying

• Some yoga postures

• Some forms of tai chi

As a rule of thumb, a person doing moderate-intensity activity can talk, but not sing, during the activity. A person doing vigorous-intensity activity shouldn’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

TALK TEST

Heart Healthy ExerciseSimple Ways to Integrate Activity Into Your Daily Routine

When it comes to living a heart healthy life, exercise is a key ingredient. Not only does regular physical activity help you feel, function and sleep better, but it also reduces the risk for getting chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Whether you have ever exercised regularly or not, it is never too late to get moving.

THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BOTH RECOMMEND:

150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity

75-150 minutes per week of rigorous-intensity activity

Plus muscle strengthening activities two or more days a week

You don’t have to do 30 minutes of continuous exercise in a day — you can break it into smaller amounts of time.

Getting CreativeWhen you’re unable to get outside to take a brisk walk or don’t have time to dedicate to a full workout like the one we’ve included in this guide, you can always add activity to your daily work activities and chores, such as:

• Dancing while you vacuum

• Knee bends when removing clothes from the dryer

• Marching in place while watching a show

• Sneaking in some soup-can bicep curls while you cook dinner

• Adding an extra set of stairs every time you go up or down one

• Lunging to and from your desk after a bathroom break

1. ACTIVE STRAIGHT LEG RAISE

• Lie on your back

• Keep the active leg completely straight

• Draw the belly in, and raise one leg as high as comfortably possible

• Keep the opposite knee as straight as possible with the opposite toe straight toward the ceiling

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 EACH LEG REST: N/A

2. SUPINE HIP CIRCLES

SETS: 1 REPS: 4 EACH LEG REST: N/A

• Lie on your back

• Draw the knee up to the chest

• ”Open the gate” by lowering the knee and ankle to the bed/floor

• Then, straighten the entire leg

• Reverse the motion if desired

• Keep the opposite knee as straight as possible with the opposite toe straight toward the ceiling

Heart Healthy WorkoutHere’s an example of a quick, 20-minute workout you can do at home to check off your mobility, strength and cardiovascular activity for the day — no equipment necessary.

MOBILITY EXERCISES

3. SIDE LYING THORACIC SPINE ROTATIONS

• Draw your knee to your chest then cross it over midline to the opposite side of your body

• Keeping your arm closest to the bed/floor “glued” to the surface, open the chest and attempt to lay your opposite arm flat to the bed/mat behind the body

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 EACH ARM REST: N/A

4. GLUTE BRIDGES

• Lie on your back

• Draw the belly in while exhaling

• Contract the glute muscles

• Raise the hips to the ceiling while pushing through the heels

SETS: 1 REPS: 15 REST: N/A

5. SHORT PRONE PLANK

• From a prone position, prop yourself up into a plank by pressing up off the bed/mat onto the elbows.

• Draw the belly in and squeezing the glutes, only the elbows and knees should be in contact with the bed/mat

SETS: 1 TIME: 30 REST: N/A

6. SHORT SIDE PLANK

• Bend the knees at approximately 90 degrees

• Keep the knees and lower legs in contact with the bed/mat

• Plank up on one elbow

• Keep all your joints stacked. Shoulder over shoulder over elbow. Hip over hip. Knee over knee.

SETS: 1 TIME: 30 REST: N/A

7. CHILD’S POSE THORACIC SPINE ROTATIONS

• From an all-fours position, rock the hips back to heels into a child’s pose

• Anchor one elbow to the bed/mat between the knees

• Point the opposite elbow toward the ceiling opening the chest

• Follow your elbow with your eyes

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 EACH SIDE REST: N/A

8. BIRD DOGS

• From an all-fours position, extend the opposite arm and leg creating a straight line from wrist through the opposite ankle

• The opposite arm and leg leave and return at the exact same time

• Brace the abdominal muscles so no movement comes from the spine as the limbs move

• Relax and breath

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 EACH SIDE REST: N/A

9. ACTIVE GROIN STRETCH

• Assume a very wide stance

• Slide the hips and body side to side on the same level

• Bend the knee of the side the body is sliding to

• Keep the opposite leg straight

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 EACH LEG REST: N/A

10. HIP POP-UPS

• Stand in a shoulder-width stance

• Reach down and grab the toes as if performing a hamstring stretch

• Drop the hips down into a squat position still holding the toes

• Elbows inside the knees, chest up at the bottom

SETS: 1 REPS: 8 REST: N/A

1. SIT-TO-STAND

• Put pressure in all four points of the foot — heel, outside edge, ball of the foot, big toe

• Maintain a neutral spine posture and brace by engaging the abdominal muscles (draw in)

• Lean the torso forward to get the head and shoulders out over the knees

• Maintain alignment of the knees in the same direction as the toes

SETS: 1-2 REPS: UP TO 15 REST: 30 SECONDS

CARDIOVASCULAR MAINTENANCE

2. SWIMMERS

• Lying on your stomach, place your hands on your tailbone

• Draw the shoulders down away from your ears and shoulder blades together

• Sweep the arms through a full range of motion out to the sides then over head

• As the arms reach around shoulder height, roll the thumbs up to the ceiling.

SETS: 1-2 REPS: UP TO 15 REST: 30 SECONDS

3. FIRE HYDRANTS

• From an all-fours position, extend the leg straight back behind the body

• Swing the knee and the ankle wide bringing the knee up to waist level

• Lower the knee toward the floor keeping it tucked at about waist level

• Brace the abdominal muscles so no movement comes from the torso and only the hip

SETS: 1 - 2 REPS: UP TO 8 EACH REST: 30 SECONDS

4. WALL PUSH-UPS

• Lean forward and place your hands against a wall about shoulder height

• As one unit, lower your body to the wall until the head is almost touching

• Push away from the wall as you exhale through pursed lips

• Adjust the difficulty by moving the feet closer or farther from the wall

SETS: 1-2 REPS: UP TO 15 REST: 30 SECONDS

• From an All-4’s Position, extend the opposite arm and leg creating a straight line from wrist through the opposite ankle

• The opposite arm and leg leave and return at the exact same time

• Brace the abdominal muscles so no movement comes from the spine as the limbs move

• Relax and breath!

5. BENT-KNEE WIPERS

• Lie on your back and place arms as wide as possible in a capital “T” position

• Bend the hips and knees about 90 degrees

• Keeping your arms and upper back anchored to the floor, slowly lower your knees to the side at hip level by rotating the entire lower body

• Keep the knees together as you rotate side to side

SETS: 1-2 REPS: UP TO 8 EACH REST: 30 SECONDS

Tracking Your ProgressSet a goal to get 150 minutes of exercise and two strength training activities in this week and use our tracker to follow your progress.

DATE GOAL CARDIO STRENGTH FLEXIBILITY NOTES

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WORKOUT TRACKER

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