Adults should do some type of physical activity every day. Exercise just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke. Speak to your GP first if you have not exercised for some time, or if you have medical conditions or concerns. Make sure your activity and its intensity are appropriate for your fitness. Adults should aim to: You can also achieve your weekly activity target with: These guidelines are also suitable for: When you start exercising after pregnancy, make sure your physical activity choices reflect your activity levels before pregnancy. You should include strength training. After your 6- to 8-week postnatal check, you can start to do more intense activities if you feel you're able to. Vigorous activity is not recommended if you were inactive before pregnancy. Moderate activity will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity level is if you can still talk, but not sing. Examples of moderate intensity activities include:
What counts as vigorous activity?Vigorous intensity activity makes you breathe hard and fast. If you're working at this level, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath. In general, 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week can give similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity. Most moderate activities can become vigorous if you increase your effort. Examples of vigorous activities include:
For a moderate to vigorous workout, get running with Couch to 5K, a 9-week running plan for beginners. What counts as very vigorous activity?Very vigorous activities are exercises performed in short bursts of maximum effort broken up with rest. This type of exercise is also known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Examples of very vigorous activities include:
What activities strengthen muscles?To get health benefits from strength exercises, you should do them to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity. There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether you're at home or in a gym. Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include:
Try exercise routines like:
You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days as your aerobic activity – whatever's best for you. Muscle-strengthening exercises are not always an aerobic activity, so you'll need to do them as well as your 150 minutes of aerobic activity. Physical activity recommendations for other age groups:
GOV.UK also has a number of physical activity guidelines as infographics. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends that Americans complete a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours per week of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity or an equal combination of both, according to its 2018 physical activity guidelines. Over the course of seven days, that translates to roughly 21 to 42 minutes of daily moderate exercise and a little over 10 to 21 minutes of daily vigorous exercise. However, a new study by researchers at Harvard and several international universities found that exercising for a longer time each week provided more health benefits — particularly "the maximum benefit of mortality reduction." Study shows this is the optimal length of exerciseThe experts who conducted the study, published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, determined that lower mortality was associated with two to four times as much exercise as what is recommended by HHS. According to their research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the optimal length of exercise per week is:
The study followed over 100,000 U.S. adults from 1988 to 2018 using questionnaires. Participants were asked about age, race, weight, height, family medical history, personal medical history, sleep duration, smoking history and more. Results showed that people who completed 300 to 600 minutes, which is 5 to 10 hours, of moderate physical activity per week had 26% to 31% lower all-cause mortality. Specifically, those individuals had 28% to 38% lower cardiovascular mortality and 25% to 27% lower non-cardiovascular mortality compared to people who reported no, or almost zero, physical activity per week. Individuals who completed 150 to 300 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week saw similar benefits: 21% to 23% lower all-cause mortality, 27% to 33% lower cardiovascular mortality and 19% lower non-cardiovascular mortality. Recommended exercises from the HHS:What is the minimum bout of exercise recommended for health benefits?The latest US guidelines state that the moderate aerobic physical activity should be at least 150–300 minutes.
Why is it recommended to get a minimum 150 minutes of physical activity weekly?Less weight gain, obesity and related chronic health conditions. Better bone health and balance, with less risk of injury from falls. Fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety. Better quality of life and sense of overall well-being.
What is the minimum amount of physical activity as prescribed by who?Should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. Physical activity of amounts greater than 60 minutes daily will provide additional health benefits.
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