Fitness Challenge

Fitness Challenge:

Each week try to complete your own workout. You can use some of the examples below or you can create your own movements and activities. Try to include a warm-up, strength exercise, aerobic activity and a cool down. We challenge you to create a new work out each week throughout the next 6 weeks. You can create a fitness log and record your workout so you know what exercises you have already completed. It is okay to repeat exercises, especially if you enjoy a certain activity! 

Exercise Activities:
1. Warm-up, 2. Strength Development, 3. aerobic development, 4. cool down
 1. Warm-up
Warming up helps stretch your muscles and get you ready to start your activity. Start each Exercise with a Warm-up: Select an exercise where you are moving and your heart rate elevated.
Select 3 warm-up exercises and perform each for 10 seconds at a gradual rate.
 2. Strength Development
Strength development helps you make your muscles stronger. Do at least 3 strength development activities. There are 4 areas of the body to choose from. Each week try to increase the number of times up to 20 and add another round if you are feeling good.
 3. Aerobic Activity:
Aerobic activity makes your heart beat faster and gets you blood pumping faster around your whole body. Start with one of these activities or similar for 15 up to 45 minutes.
Jogging, bicycle riding, fast walking, jump rope, soccer, basketball, tennis, kickball, football, swimming, rollerblading, roller-skating, playing tag, active games like capture the flag.
4. Cool-down:
Cooling down helps your body get back to the resting heart rate. Do 3 exercise from “cool down activities.” Do each one for 10 seconds.

Exercise Examples

Warm-up Exercises: Side bend Trunk Twist Knee lift leg swing Arm Circles – large and small Jumping jacks fast walking Sliding High knees Criss cross (elbow to opposite knee) Strength Development Activities: Full body: Burpees Bear Crawl / Crab Walk Upper body: Push-ups Pull-ups Triceps dips on a bench or stairs or chair Core: Plank – Middle, side Bicycle (lay on your back and extend one leg while bending the other then switch) Curl-up Ab twist (balance on your bottom and use both hands to touch the floor on each side) Make a bridge using your body Flutter kicks (lay on your back and move your feet back and forth) Superman (lay on your stomach and lift your arms and legs) Legs: Lunges Air squats Wall sit Step up on a stair or bench or chair tuck jump Star jump Cool Down Activities: Calf Stretch (stand up and push toe against the wall while keeping your heal on the floor) Thigh (quadricep / hamstring) stretch (Stand keep legs straight and touch toes) Thigh (quadricep / hamstring) stretch (Sitting keep legs straight and touch toes) Butterfly stretch (sit on bottom put feet together and pull feet towards body) arm/shoulder stretch (reach up high to the sky, slow arm circles) arm side stretch (stand up and bend towards the side and stretch your side) Slow walk