This week’s workout is Walking Lunges. Walking Lunges are great for building muscle in your quads as well as your hamstrings, and calf muscles. They are also great for improving balance! Here’s how to do them:
- Start by standing tall with your back straight, feet together, and your arms at your sides.
- Next, take a big step forward, landing on your heel, then forefoot (your toes and the pads of your feet). Lower your body, flexing the knee and thigh of your front leg to create a 90-degree angle. Keeping your weight on your front foot, drop your rear leg till the knee almost touches the ground.
- After that, raise your body by bringing your back leg forward. Take another big lunge, bending your now-forward knee at a 90-degree angle, again letting the rear knee almost touch the ground.
- Congratulations, you just completed two Walking Lunges! Try doing multiple sets of 15-20 Walking Lunges, or do them from one end of a room to the other.
Note: Keep your torso upright during the lunge—do not hunch over. This will help engage your abdominal muscles. Throughout this exercise, the knee you lead with should point in the same direction as your foot.
For added difficulty, hold weights in your hand (like dumbbells or kettle bells) as you perform your Walking Lunges.
We hope you’ll try Walking Lunges over the weekend and then build the exercise into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming 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.
If you have a great exercise you really enjoy, share it with us by tweeting us @HealthAdvocate using #WOW.
