The Mountain Life Fitness Heart Month Challenge – Week 4
The heart muscle needs to be positively stressed regularly. Heart Month is a great time to challenge the health of the heart (always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program).
Follow the Mountain Life Fitness Heart Month Challenge. New concentrations have been added each week that focus on specific aspects of heart health and by the time you’ve completed them all, you may have experienced increased energy levels throughout each day (i.e., improved stamina), the ability to sprint up the stairs and not be winded for more than a few seconds, more efficient with your movement patterns as you “feel” more like exerting! What an outstanding set of outcomes to experience and all with just a few minutes a day!
WEEK OF THE 8th – Walk Everywhere with purpose and intention! No strolling this week! Increase the length of your stride, pump your arms front/back (not to the side—pump in the sagittal plane) and keep your posture erect—tall and proud. Begin with walking with purpose around the house and weather permitting, and your Yak Trax on, get outside and push your limits—get a little winded—recover and push again (i.e., 30 seconds all out; 30 seconds of active recovery—repeat 10x)
WEEK OF THE 15th – Run Upstairs when possible or at least move quickly up the stairs – try going up and down 10x a day!
WEEK OF THE 22nd – Pick Your Knees Up! If you are a runner, increase the range of motion from the hip joints as this is your axis of power! If you are a walker, then do the same—be acutely aware of exerting. Try one minute of high knee run/walk and one minute of your regular stride and work up to 15 minutes on 2-3 non-consecutive days/week!
WEEK OF THE 29th – The Heart Month Challenge is almost over but we saved the best for last! Move your body in varied planes (i.e., sagittal/frontal/transverse). For Mountain Life Fitness members, step classes with Jackie are available on Mondays at 9:15AM or take a HIIT with Dani on Thursdays at 5:45PM! Both formats require multi-planar movement patterns that challenge the body’s cardiovascular and muscular strength/power systems. If you are not a Mountain Life Fitness Member, contact us for a tour of the facility – – we are open, in compliance with all public health regulations and spotlessly clean!
Life is not always sagittal—therefore, we need to train for a functional life through all three planes!
Great Job Everyone—now keep it up for the rest of 2021 so that this time next year, you will be fit as a fiddle!
