Workout Workbook: 9 complete workouts to help you get fit and healthy

56 Pages·2016·3.523 MB·English

by  Lauren E. Elson MD, Michele Stanten, Anne Underwood

A HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
SPECIAL HEALTH REPORT
Workout Workbook
9 complete workouts to help you get fit and healthy
PRICE: $29
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WORKOUT WORKBOOK Contents
SPECIAL HEALTH REPORT
Medical Editor Diving in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lauren E. Elson, MD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Instructor, Why work your body? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Harvard Medical School How much time should you spend on exercise? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Fitness Consultant
Michele Stanten Setting goals and motivating yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Certified Fitness Instructor, American Council
on Exercise Slimming down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Carrot or stick? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Executive Editor
Anne Underwood Setting your goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Copy Editor
Robin Netherton SPECIAL SECTION
Creative Director Exercise 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Judi Crouse
Production/Design Manager Measuring gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lori Wendin
Formal measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Photographer
Michael Carroll Other measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Published by Harvard Medical School
Gregory D. Curfman, MD, Editor in Chief Gym versus home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Urmila R. Parlikar, Senior Content Editor
In association with Try popular workouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 535 Connecticut Avenue, Nor-
walk, CT 06854-1713. Robert Englander, Chairman and Avoiding injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice President, Editorial
Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg Safety first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
King, Executive Vice President, Marketing Director; Ron Goldberg, Posture and alignment: Striking the right pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chief Financial Officer; Tom Canfield, Vice President, Circulation.
6 tips for effective strength training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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ISBN 978-1-61401-128-6
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advice, which should be obtained directly from a physician.
Dear Reader,
The numbers are shocking. Just two out of 10 American adults meet recommended levels of
physical activity. Nearly three out of 10 Americans ages 6 and older admit they aren’t active at
all, despite reams of research proving that exercise is a powerful preventive, and sometimes an
antidote, for disability and illness. Which side of this divide are you standing on—and why?
Maybe you’re not sure what blend of exercise is best. Or perhaps you know exactly what you
need to do, but your workouts have become so halfhearted and humdrum that it’s harder than
ever to dig up the energy to do them. Do you want to jump-start your sputtering exercise
program? Or are you stuck on a plateau and wishing you could kick it up to the next level?
This Special Health Report is just the ticket. This collaboration brings together the experience
we’ve each gained in our respective fields of physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as
fitness coaching. The nine workouts inside will challenge your body and spirit in a variety of
ways while warding off boredom. You can switch up workouts before your motivation tanks,
or work hard on mastering a few. Further, we’ve designed the exercises so that you can tailor
each one to your fitness level. If an exercise is too difficult, you can try an easier version, la-
beled “Make it easier.” If an exercise is too easy, you can do a more challenging version, labeled
“Make it harder.”
We’ve laid out the tools you need to take charge in this report, which is packed with up-to-
the-moment news on exercise. So go ahead. Set your goals. Check our safety tips. Select one or
more workouts you’d like to master. And mix it up every month or two to stay motivated. Your
body—and mind—will thank you.
Sincerely,
Lauren E. Elson, M.D. Michele Stanten
Medical Editor Fitness Consultant
This report is adapted from an earlier version by Edward M. Phillips, M.D., and master trainers Josie Gardiner and Joy
Prouty. The editors would like to acknowledge their work. Special thanks also goes to the Equinox fitness club on Dartmouth
Street in Boston for the use of its facilities, and to the following Equinox personal trainers, instructors, and staff members for
demonstrating the exercises depicted in this report: Peter Athans, Maryanne Blake, Kristy DiScipio, Josie Gardiner, Shane
Genakos, and Albert Roberson.
Harvard Health Publications | Harvard Medical School | 10 Shattuck Street, Second Floor | Boston, MA 02115
Diving in
L
et’s get right to the point: why should you exercise?
The pleasing image of smooth, well-defined mus-
cles and a slimmer silhouette prods many people into
activity. But in the long run, more robust health and
enhanced prospects for joyful, full-tilt living at every
age may provide even deeper, more satisfying rewards.
Picking up this report is the first step. From nkstock
wbeatrwmeeinng, wuep’l l tsoh ocwo oyloinug e xdeorcwisne sa tnod w eovrekr oyutht ianlgl thine ges | Thi
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major muscle groups, whether you’re at the gym, at piter I
u
home, or traveling. There are plenty of options here, © J
so you can change your routine whenever you grow Structured workouts, like the ones in this report, are essential for
bored with it or it becomes too easy. But in the mean- optimal health, with a truly astonishing list of benefits that range
from better sleep to reduced risks for heart disease and diabetes.
time, in case you’re tempted to slack off, this chapter
provides plenty of reasons to lace up your gym shoes
and get moving. buildup by striking a healthier balance of blood
lipids (HDL, LDL, and triglycerides), and it helps
arteries retain resilience despite the effects of aging.
Why work your body?
Even if you already have heart disease, exercise low-
If you’re like most people, you have a lot of demands ers your chances of dying from it.
on your time, so finding the opportunity to exercise • Exercise lowers blood pressure, a boon for many
may take some planning. Yet regular physical activ- body systems. Long-term high blood pressure
ity makes an enormous difference to the quality and (hypertension) doubles or triples the odds of devel-
length of your life, a fact underscored by hundreds of oping heart failure and often paves the path to other
solid studies. Here are some of the most impressive kinds of heart disease, stroke, aortic aneurysm, and
findings from those studies: kidney disease or failure.
• Exercise—even low levels of it—can add years to • Exercise can help prevent diabetes by paring off
your life. In a National Institutes of Health study excess weight, modestly lowering blood sugar lev-
of more than 650,000 adults, researchers found els, and boosting sensitivity to insulin so your body
that people who did just half of the recommended needs less of it. If you already have diabetes, exer-
amount of physical activity (75 minutes of mod- cise helps control blood sugar.
erate activity or 38 minutes of vigorous activity a • Exercise reduces the risk for developing cancers of
week) lived an average of 1.8 years longer. Those the colon, breast, endometrium (uterine lining),
who hit the recommended amounts tacked on 3.4 and prostate. By helping you maintain a healthy
years. Raising the bar to high activity (double the weight, exercise also lessens your risk for other can-
recommendation) added 4.2 years. cers in which obesity is a factor.
• Exercise lessens your risk of heart disease, the No. 1 • Exercise helps shore up bones, which reach peak
killer of Americans. It does this in several ways. For density and strength during the first three decades
example, exercising regularly helps prevent plaque of life. Over time, bones become lacier and weaker
2 Workout Workbook www.health.harvard.edu
as density slips away. Weight-bearing exercises like How much time should you spend
running and strength training, when combined
on exercise?
with calcium, vitamin D, and bone-saving medi-
cations if necessary, help ward off bone loss. And Text messages dinging, emails thudding into your
balance-enhancing activities, including tai chi and inbox, your cellphone and work phone simultane-
yoga, help prevent falls that may end in fractures. ously ringing. Some days, it’s hard to find a moment
• Exercise helps protect joints by easing swelling, to think, let alone shoehorn in a visit to the gym or
pain, and fatigue and by keeping cartilage healthy. even a quick walk.
Strong muscles support joints and lighten the Fortunately, just 30 minutes of moderately intense
load on them. Activities that boost flexibility, such aerobic activity five days a week (a total of 150 minutes
as stretching, yoga, and tai chi, extend range of a week) delivers solid health benefits, according to the
motion. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the
• Exercise may limit or even reverse knee or hip pain U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You
by helping to control weight—a big deal, since don’t have to do all 30 minutes in a single daily session.
every added pound multiplies knee stress fourfold. For example, you can reach these goals by performing
• Exercise can lift spirits by releasing mood-elevating chunks of daily exercise in 10-minute blocks. Alterna-
neurotransmitters, relieving stress, and promot- tively, you can achieve the same results with vigorous
ing a sense of well-being. In some studies, regu- aerobic activity in half the time—a total of 75 minutes
lar exercise eased mild to moderate depression as a week—or you can do an equivalent mix of moder-
effectively as medications. Combining exercise with ate and vigorous exercise. (For examples of moderate
medications, therapy, and social engagement is versus vigorous types of activity, see Table 1, below.)
even better. If you’re able to double the time you spend exercising,
• Exercise reduces insomnia and improves over- the guidelines indicate that five hours (300 minutes)
all sleep quality. Exercise is the only proven way
to increase the amount of time you spend in deep
Table 1: Moderate vs. vigorous activities
sleep, the type that particularly restores your
How can you tell whether your workout is moderate (meaning
energy. Moreover, adequate sleep lowers your risks
you need to exercise 150 minutes a week to meet recommended
of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and
guidelines) or vigorous (meaning you can get by with 75 minutes)?
even dementia. Here are some examples to help you judge. You can also gauge the
intensity of exercise by how you feel while doing it (see Table 2,
• Exercise may improve obstructive sleep apnea. In a
page 8).
recent study, a structured exercise program helped
MODERATE VIGOROUS
reduce the severity of sleep apnea, even in the
absence of significant weight loss. Walking, level surface, Racewalking, 5 mph,
3–4.5 mph or walking briskly uphill
• Exercise could even boost your ability to fend off
infection. In a meta-analysis of four randomized Walking for pleasure Jogging or running
controlled studies (the gold standard in research),
Bicycling, Bicycling,
people who exercised at a moderate intensity—such level terrain, 5–9 mph 10 mph or faster, or up hills
as walking briskly for 30 to 45 minutes a day—and
Stationary bike (indoor), Spinning class
did that five or more days a week, for eight to 16 medium pace (indoor cycling)
weeks, were 27% less likely to get colds. And if
Tennis, doubles Tennis, singles
they did get a cold, exercisers recovered three to
Badminton Squash
four days faster than non-exercisers. Additional
research shows exercise prompts a modest, short- Swimming, recreational Swimming, steady laps
term upswing in natural killer cells and white blood Adapted from “General Physical Activities Defined by Level of Intensity” from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, and CDC.
cells, which help squelch infection.
www.health.harvard.edu Workout Workbook 3
of moderate aerobic activity a week will give you more tions simply by standing and moving more—even if
extensive health benefits. you already exercise. That’s because routine movement
In addition to aerobic activity, the experts also during the day adds on to those benefits.
recommend twice-weekly strength training sessions That was the conclusion of a large, long-term study
for all major muscle groups, and balance exercises for of 123,000 middle-aged adults by researchers from the
older adults at risk of falling. American Cancer Society, published in the American
Journal of Epidemiology. Women who sat the most had
Stand up for your health a 34% greater risk of dying from any cause over the 14
Structured workouts like the ones in this report are years of the study compared with those who sat the
essential for optimal health. But you should also try least. For men, the increase was 17%. When exercise
to stand and move around more during the day, espe- was factored in, the difference was even more stark. The
cially if you have a desk job. Sitting for hours on end most sedentary women, who neither moved nor exer-
can increase your risk of serious ailments such as cised a lot, were almost twice as likely to die as those
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. By who moved and exercised the most. The most sedentary
contrast, you can lower your risks of all of these condi- men were 50% more likely to die than their more active
counterparts. Similarly, other studies have concluded
that routine, everyday movement has benefits, whether
Work your mind
for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or weight loss. It’s
Want to stay mentally sharp? Stay active! Even mild activ- gotten to the point now where some doctors actually
ity boosts blood flow to the brain—and, in turn, the vital
advise their patients to use sitting “in moderation.”
oxygenation that keeps neural networks humming.
Why does prolonged sitting have such negative
Exercise also boosts mental performance by improving sleep
health consequences? One explanation is that it relaxes
quality and reducing insomnia. Learning, memory, and the
your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take
ability to solve puzzles are all enhanced by a good night’s
up very little sugar (glucose) from the blood, raising
rest. In a systematic review, exercise training was shown to
improve sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults. your risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, the enzymes
Moreover, a Mayo Clinic review confirmed that exercise that break down blood fats (triglycerides) plummet,
significantly reduces the risk of problems with thinking and causing levels of the “good” cholesterol, HDL, to fall,
memory and even the risk of dementia as a person ages and too. The result is a higher risk of heart disease.
should be viewed as a prescription for protecting brain health.
By contrast, everyday movement not only reduces
Studies have shown that physically fit participants ages 55 to
your risk of major ailments, but also helps you burn
79 have less age-related shrinkage of brain tissue and sharper
performance in executive functions such as attention, organi- more calories. Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic
zation, and planning. coined the term “non-exercise activity thermogenesis,”
Physical activity may even stimulate the growth of brain cells. or NEAT, to refer to the energy you burn through ordi-
This regeneration—or plasticity, as neurologists call it—may nary activity that you don’t think of as exercise, such
help the nervous system combat some effects of aging or
as fidgeting, carrying the laundry upstairs, dancing
conditions like stroke that injure the brain.
around the house to your favorite tune, or even stand-
Finally, regular exercise helps prevent or reduce other health
ing while you talk on the phone. In one study, he mea-
problems that harm the brain, such as
sured NEAT in lean and obese people, all of whom
• high blood pressure and elevated lipids that contribute to
had similar jobs and were forbidden to exercise during
artery-clogging atherosclerosis, which reduces the flow of
oxygen to brain cells the course of the study. There was one key difference
between the two groups. The obese people sat longer
• diabetes, which can compromise memory
than their lean counterparts, by an average of two-and-
• transient ischemic attacks (“ministrokes,” in which blood
flow to the brain is briefly interrupted) or full-fledged a-half hours more per day. Changing that behavior by
strokes that can destroy swaths of brain cells. standing up and moving around more could result in
burning up to 350 more calories a day.
4 Workout Workbook www.health.harvard.edu
Setting goals and motivating yourself
W
hat are your goals and motivation for working
Just how fit are you?
out? It’s obvious that exercise is essential to your
health. But it could help to set your eyes on another Remember running laps and crunching out
prize, too—maybe cruising across the finish line of a sit-ups on the dusty mats of your elemen-
10K race or just slipping into a favorite pair of jeans. tary school gym as a stopwatch ticked away? That’s not
Setting exercise goals can change idle hopes into real- just for kids anymore, now that the President’s Council
ity, especially if you put some supports in place. on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition has recast the Youth
Fitness Test with adults in mind.
hinkstock Slimming down Cinl iscikm opnle w tweswts.a odfu altefritonbeicss fitetnset.sosr,g s ttore sneget hh, oflwe xyiobuili tfya,r e
hn | T Losing weight hinges on simple math. Taking in more and body composition.
pa
ul
© t calories than you burn adds pounds; burning off more
calories than you take in shaves off pounds. A moder-
ately active person who gets about 30 minutes of exer- of elite runners in the Boston Marathon. Perhaps you
cise a day needs about 15 calories of food to maintain hope to be inching ever closer to a body you’d love to
each pound of his or her body weight. To lose a pound show off. Maybe you long for guiltless licks off an ice
a week, you need to lop off about 500 calories a day by cream cone.
eating less and adding on activity time. Perhaps a small bet with a friend—loser pays for
If weight loss is your goal, step up to 60 minutes of kayaking lessons—or just wanting to hold up your end
moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week. of the bargain with a new exercise partner will do the
Depending on your body type, however, you may trick. To choose the best tack to take, start by filling
need 60 to 90 minutes a day of moderate activity to out the planning worksheet on page 6.
drop pounds and keep them off.
How can you manage this? First, understand that
Setting your goals
the exercises described in our workouts are just one
slice of physical activity. So invest chunks of time A written record of your goals is a good reminder
in performing the workouts in this report, but also when life intrudes and interest flags. So copy the
expect to tack on time spent walking briskly or burn- worksheet and put it where it can act as a daily
ing calories through other activities. If you want to nudge.
know how many calories specific activities chomp up, Finding support helps. Hiring a personal trainer
go to www.health.harvard.edu/burncalories. or tapping a buddy for workouts or walks can supply
motivation. Friends who can cheer you on and hold
you accountable to your plan help, too. And most of
Carrot or stick?
us enjoy a reward, so write down pleasurable options
Motivation takes many forms, so pick the carrot or if you meet weekly or daily goals. (Avoid food rewards
stick that works for you. Maybe you’d like to tune your or keep them small, lest they scrub out any benefits
muscles to tackle new activities, like climbing a tow- gained through exercise.) One reward is simply seeing
ering rock wall, churning through the water during a progress, so consider measuring your gains at regular
triathlon, or powering up Heartbreak Hill on the heels intervals (see “Measuring gains,” page 11).
www.health.harvard.edu Workout Workbook 5
PLANNING WORKSHEET
My goals are to My new plan
❏ enhance my health Fill in some goals for a week, writing in cardio ses-
sions like 30 minutes of brisk walking (remember,
❏ tone my muscles
this can be in two or three chunks) or the work-
❏ extend my endurance
outs in this report that you plan to try. If you’re
❏ lose ____ pounds (a pound a week is reasonable, wondering what mix of exercise to choose, read
so break down bigger goals into smaller, man- pages 7 to 10 and see Table 3 on page 18.
ageable chunks) in the next ____ weeks
❏ strengthen my upper body I can do
❏ strengthen my lower body ❏ ____________ on Monday at ______________
❏ strengthen my core and back muscles ❏ ____________ on Tuesday at ______________
❏ step up my game in a sport, such as _________ ❏ ____________ on Wednesday at ___________
______________________________________
❏ ____________ on Thursday at _____________
______________________________________
❏ be able to enjoy _________________________ ❏ ____________ on Friday at _______________
______________________________________ ❏ ____________ on Saturday at _____________
______________________________________
❏ ____________ on Sunday at ______________
______________________________________
(Here consider what tasks and fun you are missing
I will gain support for my new plan by
out on. Does your back hurt? Are you finding it
❏ hiring a personal trainer on these days
hard to climb stairs, smash an overhead in tennis,
or dig deep while gardening?) ❏ Monday ❏ Tuesday ❏ Wednesday
❏ Thursday ❏ Friday ❏ Saturday ❏ Sunday
Right now, I exercise ❏ lining up an exercise partner for walks or
❏ rarely or never workouts on these days
❏ once a week for _______ minutes ❏ Monday ❏ Tuesday ❏ Wednesday
❏ Thursday ❏ Friday ❏ Saturday ❏ Sunday
❏ twice a week for _______ minutes
❏ three to five times a week for _______ minutes ❏ telling a friend about my plan and asking
him or her to check in with me once a week on
I’d like to ______________ to cheer me on and encourage
❏ exercise _______ times a week me to stay the course
for ______ minutes ❏ rewarding myself by doing ________________
❏ add cardio exercise to my weekly routine ________________________________________
❏ add strength training to my weekly routine at the end of the week
❏ change up my weekly routine ❏ m easuring my gains (see page 11) on _______
6 Workout Workbook www.health.harvard.edu
SPECIAL SECTION
Exercise 101
F
irst, let’s define some terms. Although
the terms “physical activity” and “exer-
cise” are frequently swapped, they are
not interchangeable. Physical activity refers
nkstock to any movement you make that triggers
hi
n | T muscle contractions and a rise in metabolism.
no
© kze This could include everyday activities such
as housework or raking leaves. All physical
a specified length of time. (Maxi-
activity is beneficial (see “Stand up for your health,” page 4). But mum heart rate is roughly esti-
exercise is a structured program of activity to help you become mated as 220 minus your age.) But
research now shows you’re gaining
physically fit.
benefits even when working at a
Those aren’t the only terms that 1 Aerobic activities more moderate intensity.
can cause confusion. At your gym Often called cardio or How often to perform: The
and even in this report, you may endurance training, aerobic activi- Physical Activity Guidelines for
hear unfamiliar terms being tossed ties are great for burning calories Americans recommend at least
about. Check our explanations and paring down unwanted fat. 150 minutes of moderate-intensity
below and see how these concepts These activities—think of walking, physical activity (such as a brisk
fit into the workouts. biking, running, and swimming— walk) or 75 minutes of vigorous-
push large muscles to repeatedly intensity physical activity per
Five components of fitness contract and relax. This tempo- week. You can accumulate activ-
All-around fitness calls for sev- rarily boosts your heart rate and ity in bouts as short as 10 minutes.
eral types of activities. Generally, breathing, allowing more oxygen You can also perform an equivalent
experts recommend a combination to reach your muscles and tuning combination of the two intensities,
of aerobic activities and flexibility, up cardiovascular endurance. such as 90 minutes of moderate
strength, and balance exercises. Experts once believed cardio and 30 minutes of vigorous activ-
One form of activity—relaxation— exercise was beneficial only if you ity. Each minute of vigorous activ-
often gets short shrift, though it kept your heart rate hammering ity is equal to about two minutes
shouldn’t. Relaxation helps ease in the aerobic range—70% to 85% of moderate activity. To judge the
health-busting stress. of your maximum heart rate—for intensity of your workout, use our
www.health.harvard.edu Workout Workbook 7