Follow Along with the June Fitness Challenge

The Exercise of the Month is Chair Leg Lifts

Getting exercise and physical activity is very important to your health in many ways!  Not only does physical activity help reduce the risk of obesity and chronic health issues, but it’s also very beneficial for your brain, too.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, exercises that elevate your heart rate, “will increase the blood flow to your brain and body, providing additional nourishment while reducing potential dementia risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.”

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, so it’s great month to get started with a new plan to keep your brain and body healthy with exercise.

To make getting exercise more convenient and accessible to the community, Harbor Health is sharing fitness challenges with a new featured exercise each month!

Each challenge is built around simple exercises for many different levels of fitness.  Our goal is to make it possible for someone to do them anywhere, anytime, without equipment, indoors or outdoors.

The exercise of the month this June is the Chair Leg Lift! This exercise works your abdominal muscles.  Having strong abdominal muscles helps maintain good posture and balance, as well as reduce back pain.

Follow Along!

Here’s how you do a chair leg lift:

• Sit on edge of a chair.  Your knees should be bent with your feet flat on the floor.
• Grab the sides of the chair or edge of the couch and lean back slightly.
• Pull your knees toward your chest as you crunch your upper body forward with your abdominal muscles (don’t use your arms!).
• Lower feet almost to floor, but don’t let them touch until you have completed all your repetitions.
• Go slow – don’t let gravity drag your legs down

Click or tap the button below to download the full June Fitness Challenge calendar and add reps each day!

[button type=”info” size=”lg” link=”https://www.hhsi.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Harbor-June-2019-fitness-challenge.pdf”]Download the June Fitness Challenge Calendar[/button]

REMEMBER – If you don’t already exercise or you’re unsure of your health status, talk with your provider before starting a new program!

Looking for a new a primary care provider? You can find a provider at Harbor Community Health Center near you.

Check out free and low-cost exercise options close to Harbor community health center locations…

Free Summer Fitness Series in Boston!

The Boston Public Health Commission, the Boston Parks & Recreation Department, and Blue Cross Blue Shield MA are once again sponsoring the Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series!  The series runs every week starting Monday, June 3 through Saturday, September 28 and offers FREE fitness classes in Boston Parks across Boston’s neighborhoods.  All are welcome!

To see the complete list of classes, times, and locations near you, visit bphc.org/summerfitness!

Income Eligible Programs for BlueBikes!

Bike riding is good exercise and a healthy transportation option.  BlueBikes is Metro Boston’s affordable and convenient public bike share system, with over 260 stations across Metro Boston, including Dorchester and Mattapan. 

Bluebikes offers discounted memberships to anyone who receives public assistance or has a qualifying income.  To find a guided registration location near you, visit bluebikes.com/pricing/income-eligible-program/guided-registration.