>>> WE ARE BACK WITH "START TODAY," NOW FOR FEBRUARY, WE WANT TO FOCUS ON HEART HEALTH AND WE ENCOURAGE TO YOU SCAN THAT QR CODE, SO YOU CAN JOIN OUR "START TODAY" WALKING CLUB. LET'S KICK THINGS OFF THIS MONTH WITH AN INSPIRING JOURNEY, AND YOU'RE HELPING US OUT, AND TALK ABOUT KATHY AUGUSTINE FROM MERIT ISLAND, FLORIDA. HERE'S HER STORY IN HER OWN WORDS. >> I WAS 27 YEARS OLD AND TEACHING KINDERGARTEN WHEN I GOT SICK WHAT W-WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BAD COLD. IT WENT ON FOR WEEKS AND I CONTINUED TO GET WEAKER. MY MOTHER INSISTED I GET A CHEST X-RAY. THAT'S WHEN THE DOCTORS DISCOVERED I HAD CARDIO MYOPATHY, A DISEASE THAT CHANGES THE WAY THE HEART FUNCTIONS. I WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR EMERGENCY OPEN HEART SURGERY FIVE YEARS AGO. AND THEN MY HEART STOPPED. AFTER BEING REVIVED, I LIVED WITH A HEART PUMPING DEVICE FOR SIX MONTHS. THEN I REFERRED A LIFE-SAVING HEART TRANSPLANT. I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO WALK AGAIN AND USE WALKING AS A MEANS TO RECOVER. MY FAVORITE PLACE TO WALK IS AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS.
I JOINED THE "START TODAY" WALKING CHALLENGE LAST JUNE BECAUSE OF THE INSPIRING COMMUNITY. >> WE'RE HERE AT UNIVERSAL OLDER. >> AND IN NOVEMBER, OF LAST YEAR, I WAS ABLE TO BE ONE OF THE WALKERS. >> HERE WE GO. >> ALONGSIDE AL ROKER AT UNIVERSAL. SINCE MY SURGERY, I HAVE LOST 120 POUNDS AND WALKED A 5 K FOR DONATE LIFE. I CONTINUE TO WALK TO KEEP MY HEART STRONG. >> NOW, LET'S MEET HER, KATHY AUGUSTINE, COME ON OUT. GOOD TO SEE YOU. OH, MY GOSH. THAT'S FANTASTIC. KATHY, THANK YOU. NICE TO SEE YOU. AND OF COURSE, LOOK AT THAT. THAT IS CRAZY. WHAT A TRANSFORMATION. WELL, WE'VE GOT STEPHANIE MONSORA, OUR FITNESS CONTRIBUTOR HERE, COME ON OVER, GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. FIRST OF ALL, HOW ARE YOU FEELING? HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR NEW HEART? >> I FEEL GREAT. A NEW DAY. >> AND THERE WAS A POINT, YOU HAD TO RE-LEARN HOW TO WALK. HOW DIFFICULT WAS THAT? >> I LITERALLY COULD NOT, I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR TWO MONTHS, AND I COULDN'T STANDS, I COULDN'T WALK, I HAD TO GO TO REHAB AND PHYSICALLY LEARN HOW TO GET UP AND WALK, MOVE MY FEET, AND I JUST HAD TO DO THAT AFTER MY HEART SURGERY. >> HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT FOR HEART HEALTH AND YOUR RECOVERY. >> IT WAS CRUCIAL BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GET WALKING AND GET ACTIVE AND MY HEART NEEDED TO GET HEALTHY. >> AND YOU MENTIONED THAT OUR START TODAY WALKING CLUB BECAME PART OF YOUR LIFE.
>> YES, I JOINED IN JUNE OF 2022 AND I'VE BEEN A MEMBER AND SEEING THE MOTIVATIONAL STORIES AND STEPHIE HAS BEEN MOTIVATIONAL ON VIDEOS AND IT IS GREAT BECAUSE EVERY DAY THERE ARE NEW POSTS ABOUT HOW MUCH PEOPLE HAVE WALKED OR GETTING MOTIVATED. >> STEPH, WE THINK ABOUT, IT IS VALENTINE'S DAY, IN FEBRUARY, AND HEART, AND EMOTION, BUT IT IS ALSO ABOUT HEALTH. >> THAT'S RIGHT. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ABOUT CARDIO EXERCISE, WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR HEART HEALTH AND THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, WE'VE GOT OUR WALKING CHALLENGE, BUT IN ADDITION FOR THIS MONTH FOR HEART HEALTHY MONTH WE ARE FOCUSING ON STRENGTH TRAINING AND THAT'S BECAUSE RESEARCH ACTUALLY SHOWS WHEN YOU COMBINE CARDIO WITH STRENGTH TRAINING, YOU GET MORE BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEART THAN IF YOU WERE JUST TO DO CARDIO EXERCISE. AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE KNOW, BUILDING LEAN MUSCLE MASS HELPS US TO SPEED UP THE METABOLISM, BURN MORE CALORIES AND THEREFORE HELP US MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT. >> SO YOU TALK ABOUT UPPER BODY EXERCISES. >> SO WE WILL START UP WITH UPPER BODY EXERCISES AND GRAB THE DUMB BELLS, THREE POUNDS, KIND OF LIGHT AND GO UP FROM THERE.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO FIRST IS THE W EXERCISE. I WANT YOU TO CONNECT EMOTIONAL THIS MONTH, OUR HEART HEALTH HEALTHY MONTH, FEEL LIKE A WINNER, AS YOU MOVE INTO THAT W, AND THEN BRING IT BACK DOWN. WE'RE OPENING WIDE ON THIS DIAGONAL AND COMING DOWN TO THE SHOULDERS, ABS PULL IN, FEEL THAT, KATHY? >> YES. >> WORKING THE UPPER BODY AND THE SHOULDERS. AND THE NEXT UPPER BODY EXERCISE IS A V FOR VICTORY. SO I WANT YOU TO FEEL VICTORIOUS, AS YOU DO YOUR WORKOUT. IF YOU'RE SITTING AT HOME WOURNDING, OH, GOSH, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO THIS WITH THE WEIGHTS, THAT'S OKAY. PUT THE WEIGHTS DOWN AND DO THIS FOR SHOULDER MOBILITY. >> HOW MANY REPS? >> TEN REP PIGSS AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT EXERCISE. >> NEXT EXERCISE. >> I WILL SHOW YOU GODDESS POSE.
SO WE WILL UNLEASH THAT INNER GODDESS. EVEN YOU, AL. >> YES. >> OPENING WIDE INTO A WIDE LEG OPEN TOE SQUAT, LOWER DOWN. ABS NICE AND TIGHT AND LOWER DOWN, AND THE INNER GODDESS IS UNLEASHING, STAND UP, AND THEN STRENGTHEN THE QUADS AND THE HAMSTRINGS. THE NEXT EXERCISE IS A WARRIOR 2. KATHY, YOU ARE SUCH A WARRIOR, AL, YOU'VE BEEN SO MUCH, YOU'RE A WARRIOR AS WELL. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS OPEN THE LEGS HERE INTO A WARRIOR 2 POSITION, KNEE OVER THE ANKLE, GOOD, YES, EXACTLY, AL, PERFECT. BEND THE KNEE OVER THE ANKLE AND PRESS TO STANDS UP SOME OF THE THIS IS A DYNAMIC YOGA POSE THAT WE TURNED INTO A STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISE, SO IF YOU'RE AT HOME WONDERING, OKAY, HOW CAN I UNLEASH MY INNER WARRIOR, AND MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SOME HEALTH ISSUES AND MAYBE YOU'RE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING STARTED THIS YEAR, SCAN THAT QR CODE ON OUR SCREEN, JOIN OUR "START TODAY" COMMUNITY, PEOPLE LIKE KATHY, MYSELF, YOU, AL, WE'RE MOTIVATING YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE WANT YOU TO JOIN OUR START TODAY WALKING CHALLENGE.
I FORGOT. I'M SORRY. >> THERE YOU GO. >> SCAN THAT GR CODE OR HEAD TO TODAY.COM/STARTTODAY. WHILE YOU'RE, THERE CAN PRINT OUT THE 28-DAY WORKOUT.