How Much Daily Exercise Do I Need?

One of the best ways to boost your health and improve your longevity is to engage in regular exercise. But, it’s challenging to fit exercise into a daily routine and this is especially true if you haven’t exercised for a while. Some people have to be content with around 30 minutes up to an hour of exercise that they tackle before or after work. This is laudable, but it is possible to spend less time exercising and still get the minimum amount of exercise required for good health. 

World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines

According to the WHO, adults aged 18 or older should be engaging in 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per day. This breaks down to 21 minutes per day across the entire week. For most people this is doable and it’s possible to select specific exercises to make the most of this limited time slot. Health experts recommend cardio or other activities that will raise the heart and breathing rates. This will lower the blood pressure, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve your cholesterol levels. 

Track Your Exercise Progress

If you’re returning to regular exercise or starting out for the first time, it’s important to understand how hard your heart is working. Consult your doctor, ask them about a recommended heart rate range for regular daily exercise. Starting at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate or HR is typical. This is considered to be moderate-intensity exercise which is in line with the WHO guidelines covered above. To keep track of your heart rate you will need a heart monitor and there’s a simple formula to bear in mind. The maximum HR should be 220 minus your current age. For example: if you are 35 the maximum HR for exercising should be 185 beats per minute (BPM). If you push too hard and exercise beyond this limit you may be placing your heart under too much stress. If you are exercising without a heart monitor, don’t go beyond an intensity where you can talk but it’s hard to hold a conversation. 

Engage in Stimulating Exercise

If you’re going to put at least 21 minutes per day into your exercise regime, it makes sense to perform activities that you enjoy or that inspire you. Focus on activities that fit your lifestyle or things that you always wanted to try. Avoid boredom, it won’t keep you going in the long-term and you will soon become jaded and quit. Literally anything could be your exercise, such as running, cycling, weight training, swimming, tennis and more. Once you find something you like to do add in another activity to spice things up. Having a variety of activities for different days is a great way to work alternate muscle groups and keep things interesting. This is how you stay motivated and effectively cross-train until your daily exercise becomes a habit. 

Realistic Goal Setting

Some people start to exercise and set themselves unrealistic goals. To start, don’t consider training for a half marathon or working out for an hour every day to be achievable. When you don’t meet these goals you will quickly become demotivated and at this stage most people quit and return to their sedentary lifestyle. The most successful people will start with much smaller goals, such as walking for 15 minutes or learning how to use the machines at the gym. Adding big goals later is fantastic, but you’re still going to need to break them down into manageable steps. Work towards smaller goals for 1-2 weeks, then increase the intensity or duration gradually until you’re hitting the 21 minute minimum. It’s more important to work out regularly for shorter periods than to put in a couple of hours once per week. 

Workout with a Buddy

When you work out with a partner you can have more fun and you will be more accountable. Some people even join a sports team that plays regularly to get one or more of their daily workouts. This can give you a sense of community and it’s a great way to make new friends. There can be a similar sense of camaraderie at the better gyms where more experienced weight lifters will spot for others and offer advice. 

Combining Exercise Levels

For the best results, it’s advisable to engage in both moderate and vigorous physical exercise. Those that switch up their exercise routine will have a much lower risk of mortality than their peers. Those that are already engaged in higher levels of vigorous physical activity tend to have lower mortality than those with insufficient levels of moderate weekly exercise. However, people that engage in more than 300 minutes of moderate physical exercise per week fared even better. A study showed that combining high levels of moderate (150-600 minutes) and vigorous (75-300 minutes) per week is optimal. This can provide virtually the maximum level of mortality reduction which is in the 35-42% range. 

Does Age Matter?

To a certain extent yes, younger people gravitate to more vigorous exercise and vice versa. But, as we’ve seen there are similar reductions in mortality in both levels of intensity and even a small vigorous burst of activity can help. A prime example might be a fast walk that turns into a faster run for a couple of minutes. Even climbing stairs for 1-2 minutes can give you the slight out of breath feeling that you’re looking for in a vigorous workout. High intensity workouts are excellent for health, but even light or moderate activity help to prevent heart disease and reduce the risk of cancer. For those with weaker joints, there are some good options in cycling and rowing. These activities can be performed in real life or there are some excellent machines on the market that meet this need. 

In Conclusion

Avoid sitting too much, get some doctors advice on your max HR and get a heart monitor. Then you will be ready to choose a physical activity that you want to try or that you enjoy. Start small, set realistic goals and as you work out do a short burst of vigorous physical activity to get better results. When you’re ready, consider training for an event such as a run or bike race to see how far you’ve progressed. Remember that 21 minutes per day consistently can make all the difference to your health and well being.