EXERCISE IDEAS
FOR BUSY PEOPLE
By Kris Fox, PhD, ATC, CSCS*D
Benefits of Regular Exercise
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Decreases risk of coronary artery disease
Decreases risk of cardiovascular disease
Decreases risk of stroke
Decreases risk of type 2 diabetes
Decreases risk of some forms of cancer (e.g., colon
and breast cancers)
Lowers blood pressure
Improves lipoprotein profile, C-reactive protein
and other heart disease biomarkers
Enhances insulin sensitivity
Benefits of Regular Exercise
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Assists in weight management and body fat
management
Preserves bone mass
Reduces the risk of falling
Prevents / improves mild to moderate depressive
disorders and anxiety
Enhances feelings of "energy", well-being, and quality
of life
Enhances cognitive function
Decreases risk of cognitive decline and dementia
Decreases risk of all-cause mortality
ACSM Current Recommendations
Important Note
The update concludes that the guidelines
presented are "minimum" requirements for
preventing disease and strongly encourages
American adults to strive for greater amounts of
physical activity to gain advanced protection
against "inactivity-related chronic disease."
 For sedentary individuals, it is recommended to
begin at lower levels and gradually work up to
the recommendations.
 Always check with a physician before beginning
any exercise program.
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Cardiovascular Recommendations
a.k.a. Aerobic Recommendations
Cardiovascular Recommendations
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Frequency: ≥ 5 d/wk of moderate exercise, or ≥3 d/wk
of vigorous exercise, or a combination of moderate and
vigorous exercise on ≥3–5 d/wk
Intensity: Moderate and/or vigorous intensity
Time: 30–60 min/d (150 min/wk) of purposeful moderate
exercise, or 20–60 min/d (75 min/wk) of vigorous
exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous
exercise per day
Type: Regular, purposeful exercise that involves major
muscle groups and is continuous and rhythmic in nature
Progression: Gradual (7-10% increase each week MAX!)
Determining Intensity Levels
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Option 1:
 Go
to a lab and complete a GXT
 Then have your exercise goals calculated
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Option 2:
 Calculate
exercise goals using:
 Heart Rate Method
 Heart Rate Reserve Method
 Ratings of Perceived Exertion Method
 METs Method
Heart Rate Method
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Calculate:
Max HR = 220 – age in years
Low end of target intensity is 55-60%
High end of target intensity is 90%
Ex: Age = 40 years
220 – 40 years = 180
180 x 60% = 108 bpm
180 x 90% = 162 bpm
Heart Rate Reserve Method
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Calculate target heart rate:
= [% exercise intensity x (HRmax – HRrest)] + HRrest
Low end of target intensity is 40-50%
High end of target intensity is 85%
Ex: Age = 40 years, resting HR = 70 bpm
[50% x (180 bpm – 70 bpm) + 70 bpm = 125 bpm
[85% x (180 bpm – 70 bpm) + 70 bpm = 164 bpm
Ratings of Perceived Exertion Method
Classification
RPE
%HHR
%HRmax
<20
<35
<10
Light
20-39
35-54
10-11
Moderate
40-59
55-69
12-13
Hard
60-84
70-89
14-16
Very Hard
≥85
≥90
17-19
Maximal
100
100
20
Very Light
(6-20 scale)
METs
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MET = Metabolic Equivalent of Task
One MET is defined as 1 kcal/kg/hour*
 Roughly
equivalent to sitting quietly
 * typical metabolism at rest of an "average" individual
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Light = 2.0-2.9 METs
Moderate = 3.0-5.9 METs
Vigorous = 6.0-8.7 METs
Near max to maximal = ≥8.8 METs
Ways to Increase Heart Rate
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Go up hill
Go up steps
Carry extra weight
Go faster
Pick Activities You Enjoy
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Dancing
Ride a bike
Jump rope
XC skiing
Water aerobics
Badminton
Archery
Bowling
Canoeing
Play with kids
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Frisbee golf
Golfing (walk)
Hiking
Race walking
Racquetball
Roller skating
Sledding
Snow shoeing
Table tennis
Wallyball
Ideas for Incorporation
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Schedule 10-15 minutes before work, again during
lunch, and again after work each day.
 Start
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with 1 session each day
If you don’t have a lot of time for a moderate
intensity activity, perform a higher intensity activity
for a shorter period of time.
Try interval training
 Pick
up the pace for a short period of time
 Follow by a slower pace
 Repeat frequently during workout
Ideas for Incorporation
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Park a distance from store entrances (when safe),
and walk briskly to/from car
Use bathroom on different floor/different part of
building, walk briskly and use stairs
Use stairs instead of elevator/escalator
Walk errands rather than drive
Go into buildings, don’t use drive-thru
Walk briskly to destinations
Hide the tv remote
Ideas for Incorporation
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Do yard work manually
Schedule house cleaning daily
Move during tv commercials
Have walking meetings at work
Carry your own groceries to the car
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Change pace during activities
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 There
are more health benefits from interval type activity
than steady state; however, steady state activity is better
than no activity
Resistance Exercise
a.k.a. strength exercise
a.k.a. weight lifting
Resistance Exercise Recommendations
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Frequency: 2-3 d/wk for each major muscle group
Intensity:
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Beginners = 40-50% of 1RM (very light to light)
Intermediate = 60-70% of 1RM (moderate to hard)
Advanced = ≥80% of 1RM (hard to very hard)
Type: Variety of movements involving each major muscle
group (target big muscles and multi-joint movements)
Volume: 8-15 repetitions, 2-4 sets, 2-3 minutes rest
between sets; rest 48-72 hours between sessions
Progression: Gradual (7-10% increase each week MAX!)
Main Muscles of Body
Inexpensive Equipment
Ideas for Incorporation
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Break workout into small sessions during week,
before work, lunch, or after work
 Schedule
15 minutes each day
 Day
1 – Legs, Trunk Flexors
 Day 2 – Chest, Triceps
 Day 3 – Back, Biceps, Trunk Extensors
 Day 4 – Legs, Truck Flexors
 Day 5 – Chest, Triceps
 Day 6 – Back, Biceps, Trunk Extensors
 Day 7 – None
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Keep equipment next to couch, do exercises during
commercial breaks
Ideas for Resistance Exercises
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Squats
Split squats
Forward lunges
Side lunges
Step-ups
Dead lifts
Stiff-legged deadlifts
Supermans
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Push-ups
Planks
Seated rows
Overhead press
Dumbbell rows
Lateral raises
Bent over lateral raises
Front raises
This is a good book
that simply illustrates a
variety of resistance
exercises. Many can
be performed without
any special equipment.
All illustrations also
show the targeted
muscles on the body.
(Sample pages on
next slide)
Flexibility Exercise
Flexibility Exercise Recommendations
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Frequency: ≥2-3 d/wk (daily if possible)
Intensity: stretch to point of slight discomfort in muscle
Time: hold 10-30 seconds, repeat 2-4 times/exercise
Type: Variety of stretches involving each major muscle
group
Volume: total volume of 60 sec/exercise
Progression: unknown after goal is reached
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Note: ALWAYS warm up muscles before stretching them!!!
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Ideas for Incorporation
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Daily Good Morning Stretch
 Set
alarm for 5 minutes earlier, and don’t hit the snooze
(assuming you have a 9-minute snooze)
 Take a warm shower
 Immediately follow with 10 minutes of stretching
 Could
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be evening if you prefer to shower at night
Daily Break, Lunch, or Post-Work Stretch
 Walk/Move
body for ~5 minutes
 Follow with 5-10 minutes of stretching
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Perform a yoga/tai chi session multiple days each week
 Can
be as short as 15 minutes over lunch or before bed
Here’s a great
book that includes
a variety of
stretches for a
large number of
activities.
(Sample next slide)
150 Self Stretches
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150+ self stretching techniques by Ryan Hoyme,
CMT, NCTMB, HST
http://mrlonghairs.mywapblog.com/files/selfstretching-by-ryan-h.pdf
Includes good illustrations and directions for a wide
variety of stretches you can do on your own.
Neuromotor Exercise Training
a.k.a. Balance & Proprioception
Neuromotor Exercise Recommendations
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Frequency: ≥2-3 d/wk
Intensity: unknown
Time: ≥20-30 minutes may be needed
Type: Variety of exercises involving
motor skills (balance, agility, coordination, gait)
 proprioceptive exercises
 multifaceted activities (tai ji, yoga)
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Volume: unknown
Progression: unknown
Ideas for Incorporation
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Stand in “balance position” during daily activities
 Ex:
brushing teeth, folding laundry, safe kitchen activities,
talking on phone, checking e-mail*, watching tv
 Keep balance equipment near areas for quick access
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Walk hallway on a “tight rope”, heel-to-toe
Perform daily activities with non-dominant hand/foot
(or in a different manner)
 Ex:
brushing teeth, brushing hair, eating, drinking,
opening doors, stirring, carrying things
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Learn a new skill, activity, or hobby
Balance
Progression
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Positions:
2 feet together
 1 foot (do both)
 Feet in tandem (switch)
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Progressions:
Shoes on  off
 Eyes open  closed
 Hard surface  soft
 Arms still  move
 Stable surface 
unstable
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Balance Equipment
Try these…
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Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates
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How to find?
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 Look
for a local class
 Borrow a DVD from library
 Record from a fitness channel
 Download smart phone app
 Search YouTube
Getting Started
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Today is as good a day as any to get moving
Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day/week/month,
tomorrow is always a new day to get back on track
Some exercise is better than none
Select activities that you enjoy…don’t dread exercise
Put exercise into your planner/daily schedule so other
activities don’t take away from the time for you
Multi-task when possible, but only when one activity
doesn’t take away from the other
Set timer to remind you get up and move
Other Tips
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Avoid “fat burning” settings on cardio equipment
Change up your workout on a regular basis
Regularly progress your workouts…continue to
challenge yourself, but don’t forget that recovery is
also important for exercise performance and health.
If you feel “too tired to exercise”, start your exercise
session and see how you feel after ~10 minutes; if
you are still too tired, you can cut it short.
 Most
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of the time you will feel better after getting started.
During any down time, get up and move.
Possible Weekly Workout
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Sunday
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Day of Rest
Monday
15 min. aerobic activity & 5
min. stretching before work
 Repeat after work
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Tuesday
15 min. aerobic activity and
5 min. stretching before
work
 20 minutes resistance
exercises after work
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Wednesday
Thursday
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Same as Tuesday
Friday
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Same as Monday
Same as Monday
Saturday
20 minutes resistance
exercises
 10 minutes focused balance
exercises
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Possible Weekly Workout
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Sunday
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 60
minutes of family
aerobic activity
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 Same
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Monday
minutes of stretching
before work
 20 minutes higher intensity
aerobic activity after work
Tuesday
 30-45
minute yoga class
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as Tuesday
Friday
 Same
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as Monday
Thursday
 Same
5
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Wednesday
as Monday
Saturday
 60
minutes of movement
while house cleaning
Possible Weekly Workout
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Sunday
or family time
during aerobic activity
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 Personal
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minutes of resistance
exercise before or after
work & 5 minutes
stretching
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 Same
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Monday
 15
Tuesday
 20
minutes higher intensity
aerobic activity after work
Wednesday
Thursday
 Same
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as Tuesday
Friday
 Same
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as Monday
as Monday
Saturday
 Accumulate
60 minutes
of moderate intensity
aerobic activity
Any Questions?
krfox1@wsc.edu