How much activity is the right amount of activity?
A lot of people are starting the year with a plan to get more active. This is such a great idea, and we love supporting people to exercise more! We’ve discussed ways to stay on track with exercise in our blog previously. This time around, we’re going to explore the guidelines around how much exercise everyone should be doing.
These are the Department of Health guidelines for activity for all age groups.
Adults (18-64yo) should accumulate:
150 minutes of moderate exercise per week
OR
75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week
AND
include two strength and balance sessions per week.
There are many ways you can make up your minutes. It could be 4×30 minute walks and a couple of home yoga sessions. Maybe 2 hard swims, two gym sessions and a long walk. You might prefer a game of tennis, a game of netball, a beach walk and some bodyweight strengthening at home. There are lots of ways you can combine activities to meet the guidelines.
Avoid being sedentary – try to be a little bit active every day – rather than doing one bout of exercise per week.
If you are starting off new to exercise, or coming back after a break, it is important to build up slowly. You could try to walk a bit further from the car, or take more breaks from sitting.
If you are already active, make sure you include strength and balance sessions to maintain muscle mass and agility.
Most of all, remember that these are guidelines, and something to aim for. No-one gets it right all the time! Any activity is better than nothing. Find the types of exercise that you enjoy and that fit in your lifestyle.
Here are some more ideas for getting active!
If you have an injury stopping you from being active, coming and seeing a physiotherapist is the very best next step!