I routinely see many interesting medical situations, presentations, and diagnoses in the course of my work. Even this week, I’ve seen three diagnoses that I had to look up and study, and a handful of very interesting medical confluences—where a variety of medical problems swirl together to make a larger, more challenging clinical presentation. Those made me stop and mentally plan out how to deal with them.
With so many parts and biological processes to contend with, and so many intricate metabolic balancing features in the human body, it’s inevitable that things can go wrong.
Your metabolism is basically the sum of all of the chemical reactions in your body. The chemical reactions in your body are all mediated by fluid availability and fluid movement, and thus your heart plays front and center here, being the prime mover of fluids in your entire body.
Sometimes, we feel just “not quite right”—our systems are still functioning but not optimally. Visits to doctors often don’t shed any greater light on the situation because you can feel “off ” while still having acceptable vital signs and blood labs aren’t part of the equation.
However, all is not lost. It’s actually a good thing when blood labs and vital signs are all within normal parameters, because nothing is standing directly between you and the ability of the exercises I’m going to show you to potentially help you feel better.
6 Excellent Exercises to Help You Feel Better
The best way to engage your body’s metabolism is aerobic activity—things that get your heart rate up. Ideally, the best exercises center on the traditional—and awesome—compound exercises such as burpees, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings, and dumbbell thrusters, some of which I’ve included in this routine. I’ve made a few substitutions to allow as many people as possible to participate; however, because successful accomplishment wins the day, these exercises can help tune your body up metabolically.
While these exercises generally work well for my patients, I recommend that you speak with your medical provider to ensure that they are right for you.
1. Fast Walking
Let’s start this series with a modified version of good old-fashioned walking: the fast walk. This is a great way to start revving up your metabolism. I’m a huge fan of walking in general, and walking fast can wake your system up like nothing else.
Step 1: Start walking at your usual pace for five minutes to allow your body to warm up.
Step 2: Increase your walking pace as fast as you can for five minutes while maintaining a normal walking pattern—if you go too fast, your walking pattern might break up.
Step 3: After five minutes of fast walking, slow back down to your normal walking speed again.
Step 4: Repeat the normal pace/fast pace format for 30 minutes, or as long as you can, then add five minutes of slow walking at the end to allow your body to cool down.
Modifications: If you can’t walk fast or even at a “normal” walking pace, just walk as fast as you comfortably can. Whatever speed you ultimately choose will be sufficient for your body. Feel free to modify your fast/slow times, because some of you will be speedsters with a lot of endurance, and others a little less so.
Why I Like It: Faster speed equals better metabolic engagement, and the repetitive stress-and-relax pattern of this exercise works on metabolic resilience by repeatedly challenging your system.
2. Dumbbell Thrusters
Overhead movements possess big magic when it comes to kicking up your heart rate. I often warn my patients about exertion when having them perform them. Here, however, we want a good, energetic workout, so let’s tap into the squat press, also known as the dumbbell thruster, a classic compound exercise that can provide the intensity your body may respond well to.
Step 1: Sit near the front of a chair with your feet approximately hip-width apart and your feet slightly turned out. Hold a weight in both hands, with your hands by your shoulders. I suggest 5 pounds per hand.
Step 2: Slowly stand up. As you do, push the weights straight up overhead until your elbows are fully extended. Next, squat back to sitting. Be sure to “sit back” into the movement. At the same time, bend your arms and move the forearms parallel to the thighs.
Step 3: Slowly stand and push the weights over your head up toward the ceiling in one smooth movement. Keep your palms facing inward to help reduce shoulder stress.
Step 4: Now lower the weights back down as you perform another squat.
Step 5: Squatting, then raising your hands over your head counts as one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 10 repetitions. Feel free to modify the sets and repetitions to your liking.
Modifications: If you can’t lower to 90 degrees of hip and knee flexion, just go down as far as you comfortably can. If you can comfortably go lower than 90 degrees and move into a full squat, by all means do so, but watch for discomfort. Want to make it harder? Use more weight. Conversely, lighter weights can make the exercise a little easier for you.
Why I Like Them: Overhead movements can really rev your heart up and get your blood flowing. This is a tough movement, but you’ll like it once you get used to it.
3. Mini Jump Squats
Squats are great on their own, but even more awesome when you add a jump. Why? Although the squat is a power move that, yes, can get your heart pumping, the jump provides an even better cardiovascular benefit. Jumping movements are quite effective at increasing heart rate and providing a great workout. For this particular exercise, I’ve chosen to abbreviate the squatting and hopping motions to reduce overall knee and hip demands and allow you to perform the exercise faster.
Step 1: Standing with your arms by your sides and your feet hip-width apart, squat down to approximately 45 degrees of hip and knee flexion.
Step 2: Next, push up into standing and gently hop such that your feet just barely leave the ground. It’s a fast-paced movement. As soon as your feet touch back down, squat down again and repeat.
Step 3: With each jump counting as one repetition, try to perform three sets of 12 repetitions. Feel free to modify sets and repetitions to suit your needs.
Modifications: If you can’t quite manage an actual hop where your feet leave the floor, try rising onto your tiptoes instead, then lowering back down again. Conversely, if you feel up to it, you can increase the hop into a full jump movement to increase task intensity.
Why I Like Them: Mini jump squats provide a great workout for your legs, and the fast rise-and-fall movements provide excellent cardiovascular, and thus metabolic, benefits.
4. Kettlebell Swings
The kettlebell swing uses a pendulum-like movement with a heavy-ish weight to give your muscles a workout, but it can really trigger an uptick in your overall metabolic demands. Your heart and breathing will accelerate. I find these exercises particularly challenging during longer sets.
Step 1: Stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart with a kettlebell approximately 3 feet in front of you on the ground. I suggest using a 5-pound kettlebell, with the understanding that you can use more or less weight if you want or need to.
Step 2: Place both hands on the kettlebell, with your back straight. In one smooth move, use both hands to quickly lift the kettlebell off the ground and swing it between your legs.
Step 3: From here, swing the weight up in front of you with your elbows and back held straight, then let it swing back down between your legs and repeat the movement.
Step 4: Swinging the weight up and then back down counts as one repetition. Try to complete three sets of 15 repetitions; maintain a controlled pace and avoid speeding up.
Modifications: If you can’t swing the weight straight out, just swing it up as far as you can. Be sure to use a weight that you can effectively manage. Use more weight for more challenge, and less weight if you struggle with 5 pounds.
Why I Like It: Kettlebell swings involve moving weights fairly fast. They’re not just for strengthening—they also provide excellent aerobic benefits. It’ll toughen you up in the way that compound exercises often do.
5. Single-Leg Floor-to-Ceiling
This high-low exercise is an excellent workout for your postural muscles and, because of its balance-intensive nature, forces you to engage almost all of your muscles at once. Although challenging, the potential payoffs for your metabolic health make it worth it.
Step 1: Stand with your arms at your sides and your feet side by side.
Step 2: At the same time, reach toward the floor with both hands while lifting your left leg off the floor and bringing it up behind you.
Step 3: Stand on just the right foot as you simultaneously raise your arms overhead and bring your left leg in front of you to approximately 90 degrees of hip and knee flexion. Note: Your left foot doesn’t touch the ground on the way up; you move from having your leg straight out behind you on the touch-the-floor part to bringing it up in front of you during the overhead part.
Step 4: From your arms up and your left leg in front of you, reach down to touch the floor again while moving your leg behind you.
Step 5: Touching the floor, then reaching overhead counts as one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 15 on both your right and left sides. I suggest that you alternately perform a set on one side and then on the other, because this exercise can tire you out.
Modifications: If you can’t raise your arms very high, just reach as high as you can. Also, it’s OK if one arm moves up higher than the other. Additionally, if you can’t move your legs (or a single leg) straight out during the floor touch, just move them up as high as you comfortably can. Also understand that you will likely need to periodically put your foot down to maintain your balance. This exercise is challenging balance-wise.
Why I Like It: Because of its single-foot stance during the upright phase, this exercise also packs an excellent balance-building bonus.
6. Static Running
Static running is the extra bonus round for metabolic stabilization. It’s a fast movement that will definitely get your heart rate up, but you’ll be happy you did it once you’re done—and you catch your breath.
Step 1: Start with slow jogging for approximately 30 seconds to warm up. Stop after 30 seconds and walk in place for another 30, exaggerating the movements into high steps. This completes the warm-up.
Step 2: Next, try to execute the stationary run for one minute or as long as you comfortably can. When you run for one minute (or as long as you can), perform another 30 seconds of high steps.
Step 3: Performing a 1-minute run counts as one set. Try to perform three total sets. Be sure to pay attention to what your body is telling you as you run.
Modifications: You can just barely lift your feet off the floor as you run to make the exercise easier. Lift them high to make it harder. Be sure to pace the activity at a speed you can handle.
This routine gives you a great workout that gets your juices flowing. I suggest performing them at least three times per week to gain significant benefit, and, ideally, five times per week for maximum benefit, if your muscles, joints, and ligaments tolerate them well. Feeling bad without an understanding of why is not a good place to be, but sometimes a little targeted exercise can help move you back to feeling better. Good luck, and I hope these exercises work well for you.
About the Fitness Model: Aerowenn Hunter is a health editor for The Epoch Times. She’s an accredited yoga therapist with more than three decades of teaching experience.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.