Exercise Programs for Active, Healthy Living
Physical activity is key to living a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can reduce your risk of
chronic disease and enhance your quality of life. Fortunately, there is an activity for every
fitness level, regardless of age or ability. There is also an activity for every interest level as well.
If you are looking for a high-intensity workout, then maybe Tabata is for you. If low-impact
exercise is more your speed, then try Pilates or yoga. Better yet, what about a routine that
combines high-intensity and low-impact, such as indoor cycling? Bottom line, there’s
something for everyone! So, check out the resources at HPW Active Living, Navy Fitness, or
Semper Fit, and get moving with one of these training programs:
Aerobic and Strength Training Programs
Boot Camp
Boot camp is a group exercise class that combines body-weight and interval training.1 The highintensity workout may include sprints, push-ups, lunges, squats, pull-ups, and other body
toning exercises.1 Participants can improve their heart health, strengthen core muscles,
increase speed and agility, and burn calories.1
High Intensity Training
There are a variety of high-intensity, multi-dimensional programs that include similar activities,
such as repetitive body weight exercises, resistance and flexibility training, explosive
movements, and sprinting.2 These workouts are designed for individuals at an advanced fitness
level.2 The variety of exercises prevents boredom, increases calorie burn, builds muscle, and
enhances peak performance.2
Navy Operational Fitness & Fueling System (NOFFS)
NOFFS is a “best in class” physical fitness and nutrition program that allows Sailors to maintain
peak performance and mission readiness.3 The program provides Sailors with resources and
instructions on how to properly and safely train and fuel for operational success. 3 NOFFS also
uses evidence-based tools to reduce injuries by using job-related movement exercises.3
Marine Corps Fitness: High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) Program
HITT is a combat-specific, strength and conditioning program that enables Marines to build
resilience and enhance mission readiness.4 The program consists of three phases that increase
in difficulty at each level.4 Individual Marines or complete units can use the training to improve
peak performance.4
Exercise Programs for Active, Healthy Living
1
Whether you are recovering from a wound, illness, or injury exercise may be just what the doctor ordered!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN…
Improve dizziness and reduce
headaches after a traumatic
brain injury (TBI)
Improve attention control
in individuals with a TBI
Decrease the odds
of experiencing
PTSD symptoms
Potentially accelerate
wound healing
Increase self-esteem, happiness, and quality
of life while reducing fatigue, anxiety, and
depression among cancer survivors
Improve mood in
patients with a TBI
Improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle
strength, and body composition in cancer
survivors as well as lower limb amputees
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Benefits of Physical Activity for the Wounded, Ill and Injured
GET STARTED
First talk to your
healthcare provider to
determine what type of
physical activity is right
for you.
Work with a physical
therapist or rehabilitation
specialist to develop core
strength, balance, and functional
movement.
Try fishing, swimming, golfing,
walking, or cycling.
Get outside and do some gardening, or
head out in a canoe or kayak.
Talk to a fitness specialist at your gym. Most
fitness centers have something for everybody.
Reduce the risk of
cancer reoccurrence
Strengthen the core, which helps
maintain balance and improve gait
following lower extremity amputations
Improve leadership,
camaraderie, self-image,
and self-esteem
Increase walking distance and
speed in lower limb amputees
Improve muscle force and recovery
time in lower limb amputees
To learn more about how you can increase your physical activity
during recovery, and for a complete list of references, visit: http://
www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/health-promotion/Pages/
References-Benefits-of-Physical-Activity.aspx
PE AK PERFORMANCE: CORE STRENGTH
Core strengthening requires more than just sit-ups and crunches. Strengthening the core
requires using the muscles from the shoulders to the hips in a variety of ways.
This usually means supporting or moving the body weight in
a specific way, in multiple planes of movement.
The core is more than just your abs;
it refers to all the muscles that stabilize
and move the shoulder blades, trunk,
pelvis, and hips. A strong core allows
the arms and legs to move more
efficiently and safely.
created by the human performance resource center / hprc-online.org
FITNESS
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ENVIRONMENT
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NUTRITION
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DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
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FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
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MIND TACTICS
PE AK PERFORMANCE: CORE STRENGTH
A strong core reduces back pain,
improves athletic performance,
and corrects postural imbalances.
Exercises that build core
strength are planks, side planks,
push ups, V-sits, squats, lunges,
step-ups with hip flexion,
reverse planks, bridges, plank
twists, supermans, and planks
on a stability ball.
Core Muscles
Anterior
Superior
Rectus abdominis—this is the most well-known abdominal
muscle, the “six-pack.”
External obliques, internal obliques, and
transverse abdominis—located on the side of the rectus. These
muscles stabilize the rectus and the low back, as well as the pelvis.
Posterior
Superior
Erector spinae—this group of back muscles runs from the neck to
the low back.
Anterior
Inferior
Hip flexors—located on the front of the pelvis.
Posterior
Inferior
Hip adductors—located at medial thigh.
Gluteus maximus, hamstring group, and piriformis—located in
the back of the hip and upper thigh/leg.
Gluteus medius and minimus—located at the side of the hip.
created by the human performance resource center / hprc-online.org
FITNESS
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ENVIRONMENT
•
NUTRITION
•
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
•
FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
•
MIND TACTICS
GET OFF YOUR FEET, SLEEP IS MEDICINE
Lack of sleep can result in an increased risk of accidents, lowered response
time, mood instability, and weight gain.1
Sleep Tips
• If your mind is racing before bedtime,
write down your thoughts to release
them for the night.
• Learn a relaxation technique, such as
deep breathing, to quiet your mind and
relax your body.
For online sleep resources,
visit NMCPHC – Health
Promotion and Wellness:
• Avoid alcohol as a sleep aid; it
increases mid-sleep cycle waking.
• Put electronics away 30 minutes or
more before sleep time.
• Avoid caffeine several hours before
sleep time.
• Try to go to bed and wake up about the
same time every day.
To help you unwind, try a sleep
enhancing selection or soothing
instrumental music from the
Relax Relax Toolkit:
1.What are the signs and symptoms of problem sleepiness? National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd.
Accessed June 2015.
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• Exercise each day to increase restful
sleep; avoid vigorous exercise two
hours prior to bedtime.