Exercise Recommendations- How Much Time is Right For You?

Physical inactivity causes about $117 billion in annual health care costs and accounts for nearly 10% of early deaths in the United States.

And unlike other risk factors for disease, like genetics, physical activity is a behavior that we can control to improve our overall health and disease risk.

But how much exercise do we need to support our health? Let’s discuss!

Additional Benefits of Exercise

Before we get to the recommendations, let’s discuss other benefits of getting regular physical activity:

1. Can improve sleep quality.
2. Has been shown to boost cognitive function in kids and adults.
3. Can boost your mood and contribute to an overall improvement in quality of life.
4. Helps maintain a healthy weight and improve muscle composition.

Exercise Recommendations for Healthy Adults

In the United States, most of our guidelines come from the Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines for Physical Activity, 2^nd edition, published in 2018.

While you can read the full guidelines on your own, I’ll break down the key points you need to know!

The most important recommendation is to move more and sit less throughout the day.

And keep in mind that every bit of physical activity counts: cleaning, playing with kids, dancing, and yard work are all effective.

In addition to just moving more throughout the day, it’s recommended that adults perform at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise. Or, you can combine any combo of the two. See below for exercise ideas.

Ideally, this exercise is spread throughout the week rather than concentrated all at once. Why does this matter? Because our bodies do better when it gets regular physical activity throughout the week.

Additional benefits are gained by doing more physical activity beyond the 300 minutes (5 hours) per week of moderate-intensity.

There is, however, an inverse relationship where too much exercise can actually be harmful and lead to injury.

When it comes to working out, it’s essential to listen to your body’s needs and make sure to use a mix of moderate and high-intensity workouts.

To help reduce injury and promote muscle mass, it’s recommended to include strength-training activities at least twice a week. This can consist of weight training, resistance bands, TRX, yoga, or Pilates.

Guidelines for Specific Populations

If you are an older adult, it’s also recommended to incorporate balance training into your exercise regimen. Yoga and tai chi are both excellent, low-impact balance options.

It’s also important to listen to your body and match your physical effort to your fitness level. Or in other words, only do as much as you can safely be based on current health conditions and ability.

For pregnant women, it’s recommended to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise spread throughout the week during all three trimesters.

If you were regularly doing more intense training before becoming pregnant, it’s likely safe to continue doing those activities once pregnant. However, always follow your doctor’s recommendations, as every pregnancy is different.

If you are an adult with a chronic condition or disability, the same recommendations apply in terms of time, intensity, and variety of exercises.

Be sure to adjust the exercises as needed based on your abilities. And most importantly, always follow exercise recommendations set by your healthcare provider.

Additional Tips for Getting in Enough Exercise

There’s always some risk to any physical activity. However, by practicing proper form and choosing appropriate activities for your current fitness level, the benefits almost always outweigh these risks.

The best physical activities are the ones that you enjoy doing, that make you feel joy, and that you can engage in the long term.

Individuals who are new to working out should start with lower-intensity activities, like walking. Then slowly increase the time and intensity of your workouts as you get stronger and more physically fit.

Before starting a new activity, take the time to make sure that you have the right gear, exercise in a safe environment, and understand proper form.

In particular, I always recommend having good, supportive shoes as they can make a big difference in comfort and safety.

Before starting any new workout regimen, it’s essential to consult with your healthcare provider.

If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain, or shortness of breath at any time while exercising, you should stop immediately.

Examples of Moderate and Vigorous Exercises

Below are examples of moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercises. Feel free to adjust them to fit your individual needs and goals.

Moderate-Intensity Exercises:

• Walking briskly (2.5 miles per hour or faster).
• Recreational swimming.
• Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour on level terrain.
• Tennis (doubles).
• Active forms of yoga (for example, Vinyasa or power yoga).
• Ballroom or line dancing.
• General yard work and home repair work.
•  Exercise classes like water aerobics.

Vigorous-Intensity Exercises:

• Jogging or running.
• Swimming laps.
• Tennis (singles).
• Vigorous dancing.
• Bicycling faster than 10 miles per hour.
• Jumping rope.
• Heavy yard work (digging or shoveling, with heart rate increases).
• Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack.
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT).
• Exercise classes like vigorous step aerobics or kickboxing.

Measure Your Effort With the Talk Test

While some individuals use heart rate monitors to gauge the intensity of a workout, the talk test is a much simpler way that doesn’t require any extra gear.

Here’s how the talk test works:

When exercising at a moderate intensity, you should maintain a conversation but get out of breath if you sing.

At vigorous intensity, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing to take a breath.

The Bottom Line

Physical activity has many excellent physical and mental benefits. And adults should engage in 150 to 300 minutes of exercise per week.

For some, exercise recommendations may need to be addressed individually. Please consult with your healthcare provider and work with a coach if you are new to physical activity and make sure to listen to your body.