Body Weight Exercise - Harvard Health

The Simplest Ways Ever to Safely Become Stronger, More Flexible, & More Energetic

If you have just 15 minutes to spare, you can help build a healthier, younger body!

For centuries, body-weight exercise — actions that move your body against the resistance of gravity — has been a mainstay exercise for athletes and soldiers helping build strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility.

Today, because they can be easily adapted to fit a wide range of needs and fitness levels, they’re the perfect form of exercise to help you look and feel younger ... prevent falls ... strengthen and protect your back, knees, hips ... fortify your stabilizing core muscles for better posture ... and more.

That’s what makes Harvard’s Body-Weight Exercise Special Report so helpful to you right now. Step-by-step, our health and fitness experts guide you to a healthier, younger body — even if you only have 15 minutes to spare. For example, you’ll discover:

•	The single tried-and-true exercise that is practically a total body strengthener.
•	How to build well-defined calves — the key anti-gravity muscles that keep you standing tall.
•	The small ab-engaging movement that helps support your lower back.
•	How to strengthen your hip muscles to help prevent knee pain and make walking easier.
•	The easy-on-the-joints cardio interval workout builds endurance as it strengthens your core.
•	The classic exercise that tones and strengthens the back of your upper arms — making it easier to open a stuck window, for example.
•	A lunge exercise that will help keep you strong and agile, making it easier to pick things up from the floor.
•	The squat exercise that helps improve your balance, stability, posture, and power.
•	The “super” exercise that strengthens your back muscles and helps you stand tall.
•	The simple rehab exercise helps stabilize your pelvis and prevent injuries.

SPECIAL SECTION: Staying Motivated

Chances are, once you start feeling the better health and fitness difference these body-weight exercises make in your life, you’ll want to keep going and see even greater results.

But if you should ever feel your motivation lagging, help is on the way! We’ve included a Special Section with nine tried and true strategies to help keep your efforts from slipping on your to-do list—plus a motivating action plan to help obstacles from getting in your way.

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And the beauty of body-weight exercise is that even short workouts can deliver noticeable results.

When you start one of these body-weight routines, there are certain changes you will notice — like having more energy, being able to lift things more easily, seeing some definition in your muscles, and maybe even losing some pounds or inches.

And then there are the changes that you can’t see — like stronger bones, lower blood pressure, and your body’s improved ability to manage blood sugar.

Harvard’s Body-Weight Exercise brings you everything you need for success ...

•	Step-by-step directions and color photos show you exactly how to perform each exercise, and offer tips and techniques that ensure perfect form for best results
•	Two workout levels — basic and challenge — allow you to begin your fitness efforts easily and then progress at your own pace.
•	“Make it easier” and “make it harder” options on each level let you customize each exercise to your fitness level.
•	Tips for those with specific conditions — including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis — that can help you get more out of your workouts and avoid injury.
•	Simple warm-up exercises that lubricate your joints, so they move freely for better performance.

Healing Stretches

The end of a workout is the perfect time to stretch, allowing you to further increase your flexibility and range of motion. You’ll discover:

•	The stretch that aids in balance by preventing you from falling forward.
•	The stretch that helps maintain your ability to rotate and look over your shoulder, as you need to do when driving.
•	The stretch that helps prevent knee problems by targeting the muscles in the outer thigh and hip.
•	The “child pose” that helps improve flexibility in your back, arms, shoulders, and sides.
•	And more!

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BONUS #1: Balance Workout

Nearly everything you do — from getting out of bed and walking up and down stairs to getting in and out of your car and going out dancing — requires some degree of balance. That’s why you’ll appreciate the specially designed exercises to help you stand firm.

You’ll discover five simple exercises that can help protect you from injury, make everyday tasks easier, improve athletic performance, and more!

BONUS #2: 3-Minute Cardio Interval Workout

Crunched for time ... or need a quick energy boost? Body-Weight Exercise brings you powerful mini-workouts found to help boost cardio fitness, improve blood sugar control, and enhance muscle function.

You can even break up this workout into three one-minute bursts and still get endurance-boosting benefits.

BONUS #3: No Risk / No-Obligation Guarantee

If you’re not 100% satisfied with your copy of Body-Weight Exercise for any reason, simply return the book within 30 days and we’ll refund your purchase price. Body-Weight Exercise brings you all this and more plus evidence-based advice you can use right away. And you’ll feel good knowing that it’s advice you can trust because it comes from the renowned health experts at Harvard Medical School.