What’s the Least Amount of Exercise You Need to Stay Healthy?

Exercise affects so many different health aspects: physical health, mental health, everything from diabetes to depression, from asthma to eczema. It’s extraordinarily powerful, the effect of exercise. We’ve had a look at the effect of sitting, the effect of sleep, the effect of physical activity — and every time, for every disease, for quality of life, for academic performance, for physical health, for mental health, depression, stress, anxiety, it’s physical activity.  

As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. You can achieve more health benefits if you ramp up your exercise to 300 minutes or more a week.

Short on long chunks of time? Even brief bouts of activity offer benefits. For instance, if you can’t fit in one 30-minute walk during the day, try a few five-minute walks instead. Any activity is better than none at all. 

Many can be incorporated into your daily routine — no gym membership required.

Examples of vigorous-intensity activities:

• hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
• running
• swimming laps
• aerobic dancing
• heavy yard work like continuous digging or hoeing
• tennis (singles)
• cycling 10 miles per hour or faster
• jumping rop

Just make sure you’re doing them at a brisk enough pace that requires some effort.

So how much is just enough? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has long recommended  a weekly minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. (Walking and easy cycling are two “moderate” forms of physical activity, while hiking uphill or running are considered “vigorous.”) HHS also recommends twice-weekly “muscle-strengthening” training sessions, which includes activities like weight lifting. A 2018 research review  conducted by the group of scientists tasked with updating the HHS guidelines supported these exercise minimums.

Depending on your distance from the office, “walking to and from work is a great thing to do because it builds it into your day and it just becomes routine,” says Professor Wendy Brown from the University of Queensland’s School.

If you already have a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps per day, you’re probably already hitting the minimum exercise targets. In 30 minutes, you’d probably do 3,000 steps, and of the 10,000 steps, it may be that 4,000 of those are what we call background steps, like steps you take around the house.

“For 10 minutes of exercise, you absolutely get more bang for your buck by going flat out pedal to the metal than you do by cruising,” Professor Olds says.

 

If you don’t want to walk, consider other moderate-intensity exercises, such as swimming, stair climbing, tennis, squash, or dancing. Don’t forget that household activities can count as well, such as intense floor mopping, raking leaves, or anything that gets your heart pumping so much that you break out in a light sweat.

Don’t have the discipline to do it on your own? Try any or all of these ideas:

Join a class or work out with a friend who’ll hold you accountable.

Track your progress, which encourages you to reach a goal.

If you’re able, hire a personal trainer. (Paying an expert is good motivation.)

Whatever exercise and motivators you choose, commit to establishing exercise as a habit, almost like taking a prescription medication. After all, they say that exercise is medicine, and that can go on the top of anyone’s list of reasons to work out.

I hate exercising: why should I do it?

Exercise is one of those things that somehow has even more benefits than you think. The HHS report summarizes the science on how physical activity helps us, and it reads more like a laundry list of all the body’s systems. It helps your brain, your muscles, your skeleton, your heart, your blood vessels, and your lungs. Getting exercise helps you sleep better. It helps you breathe better. It staves off all manner of diseases, from Alzheimer’s to diabetes. It prevents older people from falling, reduces anxiety and depression, and lowers your risk of all kinds of cancers.

So in short, the answer is that you should exercise because it will improve almost every aspect of your life. Hopefully, that’s reason enough. Who knows, you might find an activity that you come to love. But even if you don’t, you can absolutely turn that dreaded trip to the gym into just another healthy habit.

Conclusion:-

If you are able to maintain these few things, you’ll be happy with the results you will witness. What are you waiting for? Start planning your fitness regime now!