How much exercise is enough?
Posted by Keri on May 12, 2010 · 3 Comments
Being smack in the middle of Move For Health Week, it brings up the age old question, how much exercise is enough? Even with all of the science and resources available, there really is no magical amount; it depends on the person as well as their goals. There are however exercise guidelines for training, (I love the word guidelines, it sounds so official like the word protocol, another word that I love), really they are more like recommendations.
Depending on what you do and how long you do it for, there are two different types of benefits that you will get from exercise, they are health and fitness benefits. Health benefits come from lifestyle physical activity and enable you to enjoy life and protect you from chronic disease (lowering cholesterol, blood sugar, etc) whereas fitness benefits come from a moderate or vigorous exercise program, the benefits can be seen as well as felt (weight loss, muscle development, increased cardiorespiratory endurance).
Depending on your goals, here are the guideline breakdowns….
1. Lifestyle Physical Activity
- Walking, dancing, housework, etc
- 30-60 minutes
- 4-7 days a week
2. Moderate Exercise
- Cardiorespiratory endurance
- Running, cycling, swimming, aerobics
- 30-60 minutes
- 4 days a week
- Strength Training
- 1-2 sets (8-12 reps) of 8 exercises working all major muscle groups
- 4 days a week
- Stretching
- 4-7 days a week
- Moderate Exercise
3. Vigorous Exercise
- Cardiorespiratory Endurance
- Running, cycling, swimming, interval training, etc
- 30-60 minutes
- 5 days per week
- Strength Training
- 3 sets (8-12 reps) of 10 exercises working all major muscle groups
- 5 days per week
- Stretching
- 6 days per week – hold each stretch 10-30 seconds, 4 repetitions
Also keep in mind:
- Always receive clearance from your doctor prior to starting an exercise program.
- Start slowly and listen to your body
- Always warm up and cool down
- Keep your routine fun and fresh
- Exercise safely
- Cycle the volume and intensity of your workouts
- Train the way you want your body to change
[...] in mind that your weekly workouts should be well balanced and follow the guidelines outlined in “How much exercise is enough”, and scored accordingly, so it will require a bit of thought. Your weekly workout should [...]