How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?

You probably know that lack of exercise is not enough, and that daily walks are generally beneficial. And if you’re training for a marathon, you’ll be on your feet for a couple of hours of hard training every week. But what is the test for a person who is simply trying to squeeze enough healthy exercise into their life ? Let’s figure it out.

The Basics: 150 minutes of cardio and two days of strength training each week.

Fortunately, all major public health organizations agree. The World Health Organization , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and American Heart Association have the following recommendations for aerobic exercise:

• At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio exercise, such as walking or light jogging, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise, such as running, or a combination of both. (If you can handle it easily, the more the better.)

• At least two days a week, engage in muscle strengthening activities , such as weight lifting or other strength training such as push-ups, exercises with resistance bands, or even heavy manual labor such as shoveling.

The previous edition of the guidelines said that you need to do cardio for at least 10 minutes at a time for it to count, but the current recommendation is to do it as much as you can, even if that includes a few shorter intervals here and there.

If it’s too easy, level up to 300 minutes.

If you’re fairly athletic, the above won’t seem like much to you. Good news! WHO has given people like you a secondary goal. It’s simple: just make twice as much as above. So you can aim for 300 minutes of moderate cardio or 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. Here’s what it might look like:

• Intense one-hour martial arts classes three times a week (60 x 3 = 180, but this is vigorous cardio, so the minutes count double)

• Take a 45-minute walk after dinner every day (45 x 7 = 315 minutes of moderate cardio).

• Cycle to work for 20 minutes each way (40 minutes per day x 5 days a week = 200 minutes of moderate cardio) and play recreational football for two matches per week (50 minutes per game, for some combination of moderate and vigorous cardio training). , definitely puts us above 300).

What do “moderate” and “vigorous” exercise mean?

Walking at a goal-oriented pace is considered “moderate” cardio, while jogging is considered “vigorous.” Here I have a detailed description of what exercise is considered moderate and vigorous . This distinction is not based on heart rate or effort level, but rather on a scientific metric called MET, which measures how much energy and oxygen an exercise requires. Moderate exercise is anything rated 3 to 6 METs, while vigorous exercise is anything rated 6+ METs.

However, you can judge by the level of effort. When you do moderate exercise , you will sweat a little or breathe a little heavier than at rest, but you can do it consistently without feeling tired. It may not even feel like a workout. Here are some examples of moderate cardio:

• Quick walk

• Commuting to work or running errands by bike on relatively flat surfaces.

• Using a stationary bike or other cardio equipment, such as an elliptical, at low intensity and at a steady pace.

• Housework and light yard work, such as washing windows or mowing the lawn with a lawnmower.

In contrast, vigorous exercise involves activities in which you work hard and breathe heavily. You may still be able to carry on a conversation, but it probably won’t be easy. Vigorous exercise also includes really hard exercises that you may not be able to sustain for long. This may include:

• Fast run

• Cycling uphill

• Push yourself to complete the Crossfit WOD to your advantage.

• Swimming rings

• Playing football or basketball

• Heavier work around the house and yard, such as chopping wood or using a lawnmower.

Can I mix moderate and vigorous cardio?

You can mix and match these two intensities. The math is simple if you set your goal to about 150 minutes and count every minute of vigorous cardio as double. Here are some examples:

• A 20-minute brisk walk every weekday morning (20 minutes x 5 days = 100 minutes of moderate cardio) plus a 30-minute spin class that will make you work really hard (30 minutes doubled equals 60; add that up to 100 and you are at 160 minutes).

• One hour of walking three days a week (60 minutes x 3 sessions = 180 minutes of moderate cardio)

• Three 30-minute runs (30 minutes x 3 = 90 minutes of moderate cardio) plus a workout with 10 minutes of easy running to warm up, followed by 20 minutes of intense running followed by an easy cool-down for another 10 minutes. (20 minutes of vigorous exercise x 2 is equivalent to 40 minutes of moderate cardio, plus we can add a warm-up and cool-down for another 20 minutes of moderate exercise). You will get 150 in total.

• On Monday, go for a 30-minute easy bike ride. Try a 45-minute water aerobics class on Wednesday. Take a short walk on Saturday. Mow the lawn for an hour on Saturday. (30 + 45 + 30 + 60 = 165 moderate cardio)

How much strength training do you need?

So far we’ve talked about aerobic exercise, where you constantly move (or perhaps take short intervals between work and rest) and get your heart rate up. But there are other important forms of exercise. The WHO and other organizations recommend two days a week of “high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity,” which includes all you can think of in terms of sets and reps. (Three sets of eight to 10 reps is a good place to start.)

This can be any exercise that challenges your muscles, and the last rep is much harder than the first. This may include weight lifting , exercises with resistance bands , or bodyweight exercises such as push-ups. So if you run three days a week and have time for more exercise, don’t just go for extra runs; try adding two days in the gym.

Strength training recommendations are for two days per week for each muscle group . If you like to train your upper and lower body separately, this would mean two days for the upper body and two days for the lower body. If you prefer workouts that work all your muscles, you only need to do two full-body workouts per week (minimum).

Can you get too much exercise?

What about the upper limit of exercise? From a public health perspective, there is none. More is better. (And even if you do less than recommended, anything is better than nothing .) However, you as an individual can always do more exercise than your body is ready for. Don’t go from an occasional walk to a marathon training plan. (And if you’re doing a marathon training plan and feel exhausted, take a break .)

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