Exercises to Support Your Body Type Each of the four body types has an affinity for a particular type of exercise, which includes a combination of cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength-training exercises. Cardiovascular exercises are those that elevate the heart rate for a sustained period of time (20–30 minutes at your ideal exercise heart rate), and include exercises like aerobics, biking, swimming, dance, jogging, fast walking, and cross-country skiing.

Flexibility exercises include yoga postures, active stretching, and range of motion exercises (as indicated in chapters 4 and 5) to improve the flexibility of your neuromusculoskeletal system and enhance your ability to recover from multidimensional stress.

Strength training includes training with free weights or using exercise machines such as Nautilus or Cybex, and exercises that provide resistance training with the use of Therabands or Theraciser. Although each body type benefits from emphasizing one type of exercise, all body types need to include all three types in their exercise program. The dominant exercises for each body type are outlined below: cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength training.

The Pituitary Body Type: The emphasis for exercising the Pituitary body type is to improve whole body awareness. This is accomplished by avoiding repetitive exercises, such as running and calisthenics, and by integrating the following exercises:

• Strength training 3x week
• Freestyle movement and dance 2–3x week
• Cross Crawl and cross-country skiing–type exercises to improve coordination 3x week
• Tai Chi and Qigong exercises
• Moderate cardiovascular exercise 1–2x week
• Moderate yoga and active stretching to improve flexibility 1–2x week

The Adrenal Body Type: The emphasis for exercising the Adrenal body type is to increase cardiovascular exercise, improve flexibility, avoid heavy weight lifting and contact sports, and to integrate the following types of exercise:

• Racquetball, basketball, bicycling, fast walking or cross-country skiing to improve cardiovascular health 3x week Yoga postures or active stretching to lengthen the body 3x week
• Minimal strength training with low weights and slow repetitions, utilizing the full range of joint motion, 2x week
•  Core-strengthening exercises

The Thyroid Body Type: The emphasis for exercising the Thyroid body type is to increase strength and endurance, and to avoid exercise with intermittent effort, such as tennis and racquetball. Thyroid body types should especially avoid overtraining, and integrate the following types of exercise:

• Strength training to increase muscle mass, with low weights, low repetitions (10–12), and slow movements through a complete range of motion 3x week
• Slow but steady endurance training 2–3x week
• Swimming, jogging, fast walking, skiing, hiking 2x week
• Yoga exercises and active stretching to maintain flexibility 2x week
• Moderate cardiovascular exercise
• Core-strengthening exercises

The Gonadal Body Type: The emphasis for exercising the Gonadal body type is to integrate the upper and lower portions of the body, and avoid exercises that overdevelop the lower body, such as bicycling, skating, rollerblading, and step aerobics. The following exercises are beneficial for Gonadal body types:

• Strength training for the upper body 3x week
• Strength training for the lower body 2x week
• Movement, dance, cross-country skiing, and fast walking 3x week
• Yoga postures and active stretching for whole body integration 3x week
• Cross Crawl Exercise
• Moderate cardiovascular exercise
• Tai Chi and Qigong exercises
• Core-strengthening exercises