Coach on Call. Thank you for your interest in Being Active and F.I.T.T. I hope you find this tip sheet helpful.

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Jordan Mitchell
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Coach on Call It was great to talk with you. Thank you for your interest in I hope you find this tip sheet helpful. Please call me if you have more questions about this or other topics.

1 Coach on Call It was great to talk with you. Thank you for your interest in I hope you find this tip sheet helpful. Please call me if you have more questions about this or other topics. As your UPMC Health Plan health coach, I m ready to help in any way I can. Being physically active is good for you in countless ways. Even small amounts will help you feel better and be healthier. Sit less and move more, as often as you can! The more active you are, the greater the health rewards. One of the best types of exercise for your overall health is called aerobic. It uses the large muscles in your arms, legs, and hips and involves breathing more deeply. It improves blood flow to all parts of your body. Regular aerobic exercise lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer. It can improve your mood, give you more energy, and help you sleep better. It strengthens bones and muscles. It lowers the risk of dementia and disability. A helpful guide to getting the most from aerobic exercise is called F.I.T.T: F stands for frequency (how often to be active) I stands for intensity (how hard to work when you are active) T stands for time (how many minutes to exercise) T stands for type (what kinds of activities to choose) Frequency Do aerobic exercise on at least three days per week. Five to seven days are even better. Spreading your exercise across the week reduces the risk of injury. It also helps your body sustain some of the short-term health benefits across the week. Examples of these health benefits are better blood sugar and blood pressure. Talk with your doctor before starting or increasing any exercise program. Your doctor may advise you to try certain exercises or avoid others. A healthier life is life on is the on line the for you! line for you! Copyright 2016 UPMC Health Plan Inc. All rights reserved C ON C ACTV AND FITT 15WP1999 (MCG) 5/19/16 PDF

2 Page 2 of 5 Coach on Call Intensity Build up over several weeks to a moderate intensity, which means to: Work hard enough that you can talk with a friend but not sing. For example, if you can whistle or sing while you are walking, you are probably not working hard enough. Pick up your pace. If you cannot catch your breath or say more than a few words, you are working too hard. Slow down your pace. Stay within your target heart rate range. The usual target is 50%-70% of your maximum heart rate. To figure out this range: 1. Subtract your age from 220. This is roughly your maximum heart rate = 2. Multiply the answer by 0.5. This is the low end of your target range. 3. Multiply the answer from step 1 by 0.7. This is the high end of your target range. x 0.5 = x 0.7 = To measure your heart rate, use a heart rate monitor while you exercise. Or take your pulse right after being active. Your health coach or doctor can explain to you how to do this. Note: Your target heart rate range may need to be adjusted due to certain medicines or health conditions. Talk with your doctor about a target heart rate range for exercise that is right for you. As you do regular exercise over time, your heart won t beat as fast for the same effort. You will need to work harder to stay in your target heart rate range. This is a sign that you are becoming more fit. If you want to do higher intensity (vigorous) exercise such as running, get your doctor s okay first.

3 Page 3 of 5 Time Slowly build up to at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week. For example, walk briskly for 30 minutes on five days per week. If you have not been active, start with 10 minutes on three days per week. Build up from there. Try to do at least 10 minutes in a row without a break. This is enough to give you many health benefits and may be easier to schedule, such as during a break at work. If you want to do vigorous exercise such as running, get your doctor s okay first. Build up to at least 75 minutes per week, spread over the week. Type Examples of moderate aerobic exercise include brisk walking, biking, swimming laps, dancing, tennis doubles, yard work such as mowing the lawn and raking leaves, and water aerobics. Many people choose brisk walking. It can be done inside or outside, alone or with others. No equipment is needed other than a pair of walking shoes that support your feet and fit well. You are more likely to stick with activities you enjoy. Try several. Choose one or more that you like and that fit your lifestyle. Vary what you do when you get bored. If you want to do higher intensity (vigorous) exercise such as running, get your doctor s okay first.

4 Page 4 of 5 Take Action 1. With the help of your health coach, write a plan below for doing aerobic exercise in the coming week. Then record how well you followed your plan and what got in the way. An example is in the first two rows. Example: Example: Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Weekly Total 15 min. 50 walk mow bike minutes lawn walk Rained! 15 min. bike 35 minutes What helped What got in the way

5 Page 5 of 5 2. If you followed your plan, great! Use the rows below to build on your success. Plan to add minutes to your weekly total, spread across the week, toward a goal of at least 150 minutes. If you did not follow your plan, talk with your health coach about what got in the way. Choose some possible solutions that are very likely to work. Then write a new plan below and record how well you followed it. Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Weekly Total What helped What got in the way 3. Continue to write down an exercise plan for each week and how well you followed it. Use a notebook, calendar, or datebook. When things get in the way, refine your plan as needed to handle those hurdles. Do not give up! You can do this! The information in this tip sheet is for educational purposes only. It is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Before making changes, always talk to your doctor about what is right for you. Sources: 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at Accessed July 16, Pescatello, L.S., (Ed.). (2013). American College of Sports Medicine s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription: ninth edition. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. CMN a

X-Plain Exercising For a Healthy Life Reference Summary

X-Plain Exercising For a Healthy Life Reference Summary Introduction By exercising and becoming more active, you can improve your health. People who are not physically active are much more likely to develop