Workout of the Week: Ankle Turns

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

This week’s Workout of the Week is Ankle Turns.

This week, we will be focusing on strengthening our ankles.  Did you know there are over 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments in our ankles and feet? Many people have bad ankles from sports injuries, being overweight, or muscle and joint problems. Taking time to build strength in your ankles will improve your balance and ability to perform more cardio activities, keeping you working out longer. Try doing some Ankle Turns this week!

·          Sitting on a chair, slide a long strap, belt, resistance band or jump rope under one foot.

·          With both hands, pull the ends of the strap so your foot is resisting the tension. Your knee should be straight.

·         Holding onto the strap, pull left so your ankle tilts to the left. Going against the force caused by your arms, push your ankle to the right.

·         With your ankle now tilted right, pull right and push your ankle to the left. Do this repeatedly for about 25-30 reps, and then switch feet.

Note: After each set of repetitions, slowly circle one of your ankles in a clockwise motion, then again in a counter-clockwise motion. This will stretch out your ankles.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

Workout of the Week: Leg Circles

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Leg Circles

Leg circles--isolated leg exercises--are a great way to strengthen your thigh, calf, and core muscle groups. Here’s how to perform the exercise:

·        To begin, lie flat on your back. Place your hands under the small of your back with your palms facing down and your legs straight in front of you, feet together.

·         Next, raise your feet about 12 inches off the ground, and tighten your stomach muscles. Hold this position for about 15-20 seconds, or until you start to feel a burn.

·         Then with your feet still together, swing them in circles clockwise. Start out making small circles and progressively make your circles bigger and bigger--you should definitely start to feel a burn. Try doing circles for a full two minutes!

·         After two minutes (or however long you can handle) reassume the starting position by bringing your feet back out in front of you and slowly lowering them to the ground.

·         If you’re comfortable doing so, aim for doing 50-60 circles.

Tips: Remember to focus on your breathing, keeping your abdomen tight, and switch up rotations (clockwise and counter-clockwise).

For an extra challenge, try adding an additional minute to this exercise each day that you do it!

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

WOW--Workout of the Week: Push-ups

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Push-ups are not only great for your chest, but they also do a tremendous job of defining your abs, triceps, shoulders and torso. The great thing about push-ups is that you can do them anywhere—in between commercial breaks of your favorite TV show, when you wake up in the morning, on your lunch break, and more…the possibilities are endless!

How to do push-ups:

·         To begin, lie face down on the ground with hands placed as wide, or slightly wider than, shoulder width.

·         Keeping your body straight, push your body off the ground by straightening your arms at the elbows. Hold this position for 1 to 2 seconds.

·         Next, lower your body to the ground by bending at the elbows, controlling your weight and keeping your body straight. Your chest should barely touch the ground.

·         Push up again by straightening your arms, and repeat this process 5-10 times.

Try doing 2 or 3 sets of 10 push-ups per set.

Tip: If you are having trouble doing a complete set, don’t be afraid to rest on your knees to do your push-ups. Keep your eyes focused straight ahead to ensure a straight line from your neck to your feet.

Need more help with push-ups? Check out http://www.hundredpushups.com/.  They have a “7 week to 100 push-ups” program that can be tailored to people of all different strength abilities. They begin by testing your initial push-up abilities and set goals to reach each day for 7 weeks. They also have a downloadable app so you can track your daily progress from your mobile device.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

Workout of the Week: Downward Dog

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Our latest Workout of the Week is a yoga pose—the Downward Dog.

This popular yoga pose is a simple but effective exercise that strengthens your arms and legs, while stretching and energizing your shoulders, thighs, feet, and hands. (Note: For people with weak or bad knees, place a towel or yoga mat down on the ground before beginning this exercise.)

Here’s how to do the Downward Dog:

·         Begin by lying on your stomach and placing your hands at your sides around shoulder level, as if you are about to begin doing a push-up.

·         Next, press your buttocks high into the air, resting only on your hands and toes, to form an upside-down V. Tighten your thighs and abdomen. Press your shoulder blades together, and reach your heels to the floor.

·         Hold this pose for 2-3 minutes, or as long as you can, while focusing on taking deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

·         Finally, slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position, continuing to take deep, meditative breaths.

·         Try doing this pose 2-3 times, and hold the pose for 1-2 minutes each time.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

Health Advocate Welcomes Clients with Open Houses Across the Country

On Wednesday, October 16, 2013, Health Advocate is holding several open houses across the country for existing and prospective clients.

Clients are invited to visit one of Health Advocate’s six different offices, with locations ranging from the east coast to the west coast. We will show you how our leading-edge solutions, data analytics and personalized approach to service help promote improved health and wellness outcomes, increase employee engagementand generate medical cost-savings.

 

In each location, there will be two Open House sessions:

Morning: 7:30 am to 9:30 am, featuring a continental breakfast

Afternoon: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, featuring a dinner buffet

 

Open House Locations

·         Pennsylvania:

Health Advocate Corporate Headquarters

3043 Walton Road | Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462

Visit the all-new EmpoweredHealth Innovation Center. EmpoweredHealth is the first completely integrated program that combines an array of cost-saving benefits supported by superior data analytics. It is delivered in a specially designed collaborative workspace by a team of experts — a highly personalized approach in one seamless offering.

 

Health Advocate’s Regional EAP+Work/Life Center

835  Springdale Drive, Suite 100 | Exton, PA 19341

 

·         Florida:

Health Advocate, Jacksonville Innovation Center

8649 Baypine Road, Suite 101 | Jacksonville, FL 32256

Our office is located off of I-95 and Baymeadows Road.

Join us to experience our Jacksonville Innovation Center, featuring comprehensive EAP+Work/Life solutions.

 

·         California:

Health Advocate, San Francisco Innovation Center

180 Redwood Street, Suite 300 | San Francisco, CA 94102

Our office is located in the heart of San Francisco, close to the Civic Center.

Complimentary parking details will be provided with your registration confirmation.

Join us to experience our San Francisco Innovation Center, showcasing the latest approaches to wellness engagement.

 

Health Advocate, e2H Division

3027 Townsgate Road, Suite 110 | Westlake Village, CA 91361

Our office is located 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles International Airport.

Join us for a tour of our Los Angeles office, featuring our engage2health (e2H) health informatics center.

 

Health Advocate, National Biometrics Center

1004 Industrial Way, Suite A | Lodi, CA 95240

Join us for a tour of our National Biometrics Center, featuring workplace screening solutions.

 

 

How to Register

Online: HealthAdvocate.com/visit

By phone: Call 866.385.8033, prompt #2

We hope to see you there!

Workout of the Week: Superman Sit-Ups

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Superman Sit-Ups

These aren’t your traditional sit-ups--these sit-ups are for superheroes!

·         Begin by assuming the Superman position--lie on your stomach with your arms stretched out in front of you, a few inches off the ground (visualize Superman flying!), while also lifting your chest and legs a few inches off the ground.

·         Next, roll over onto your back, making sure your arms and legs don’t touch the ground. Bend your knees slightly and bring your arms up over your head.

·         After that, pull your upper body forward to your knees, completing a sit-up.

·         Finally, lower your upper body back towards the ground.  But before your upper back touches the ground, roll back over onto your stomach, keeping your chest, arms, and legs off the ground.

Try doing as many of these as you can.  Pay special attention to your form—make sure you’re doing the exercise just as described above.

For an extra challenge, tack on 5 more Superman Sit-Ups each day this week.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.