Walk the walk

Are you guys ready to get some exercise and work up a sweat? Check out my new fitness video, right next to this blog. It’s part of my Truth on Health Campaign, which gets kids moving and healthy – all while having fun!

In this video, we do a bunch of exercises you’ve probably done before, so they should be easy to get the hang of. They may be simple, but these are some great moves for a warm-up before any workout. Let’s start out with walking in place. Nothin’ to it, right? What you want to do is walk in place between every exercise … no stopping. Keep pumping your arms and lifting those knees high in the air to increase circulation. Gotta keep that heart rate up.

Next is skipping. Skipping isn’t just a fun activity for kids — pro athletes like me do it, too. You can do it in slow motion to really feel the movements, and make sure you push up from your toes all the way to the sky to really get that height! And don’t forget to walk in place when you finish.

By now hopefully you’ve got a good little sweat goin’ on. Let’s keep up the pace and try some jumping jacks next. I know I don’t even need to tell you how to do a jumping jack because you’ve probably been doing them since first grade, right? There’s a reason for that - they’re good exercise and a classic warm-up move, even for the pros!

Now that we’ve got our muscles prepped, let’s try some lunges. You want to go a little slower at first so you don’t hurt yourself. Make sure your feet are in line with your hips, and your knees are directly over your toes. This will help protect your knees. You should feel the burn on these – that means you’re working hard, and that’s just what we want.
After you finish all of these moves, do another set of all of them, and remember to keep up that walking in place between each exercise.

At the end, stretch it all out with my favorite -- the pretzel! I always encourage stretching before and after every workout. It’s important for preventing injuries. Cross your legs, put your arms out, cross your arms and hold your hands together, then bring your hands under and up so you look like a pretzel. Remember to breath deep while you stretch.

You can get physical activity anywhere, any time. And it’s not just about plain old exercise; you can do anything that makes it fun, whether it’s a game of four square or pick-up hoops. Check out this full video on Comcast On Demand. Just select the Get Local category from the On Demand menu, then choose NBA TV, Boston Celtics, and Paul Pierce's FitClub34, and then get outside and get movin’! You can also check out my website, www.truthonhealth.org, for some more exercise tips. Remember to check back every week for my new video.

Check out Paul Pierce and his FitClub34 program on Celtics on Demand exclusively on Comcast! Watch the full video of Pierce in action by selecting the Get Local category from the On Demand menu, then choose NBA TV, Boston Celtics, and Paul Pierce's FitClub34.