It depends on whether you want to lose weight, increase
endurance, or reach other fitness milestones. Learn about exercise guidelines
and the importance of determining your exercise goals.
Before you make a decision on how much exercise you need,
you should have a good idea of your exercise goal or goals: Are you exercising
for physical fitness, weight control, or as a way of keeping your stress levels
low?
Exercise: How Much You Need
"How much exercise is enough for what?," asks
David Bassett, Jr., PhD, a professor in the department of exercise, sport, and
leisure studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
For general health benefits, a routine of daily walking may
be sufficient, says Susan Joy, MD, director of the Women's Sports Health
Program at the Cleveland Clinic.
If your goal is more specific — say, to lower your blood
pressure, improve your cardiovascular fitness, or lose weight — you'll need
either more exercise or a higher intensity of exercise. So figure out your
goals first, then determine what type of exercise will help you meet them and
how much of that particular exercise you'll need to do.
Current Exercise Guidelines for Americans
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, everyone needs two types of physical activity each week: aerobics
and muscle-strengthening activities. Aerobic activity involves repetitive use
of the large muscles to temporarily increase heart rate and respiration. When
repeated regularly, aerobic activity improves cardio-respiratory fitness.
Running, brisk walking, swimming, and cycling are all forms of aerobic
activity.
Muscle-strengthening activities are designed to work one or
more muscle groups. All of the major muscle groups — legs, hips, back, abdomen,
chest, shoulders, and arms — should be worked on two or more days each week.
Lifting weights, working with resistance bands, and doing pushups are all are
forms of muscle-strengthening activities.
Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity
physical activity each week, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities. If
activity is more vigorous in intensity, 75 minutes a week may be enough. For
even greater health benefits, though, more activity is better: 300 minutes of
moderate-intensity activity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a
mix of the two.
It's best to be active throughout the week, rather than
concentrating all of your physical activity in one day. That means 30 to 60
minutes of exercise, five days a week. You can break it up into even smaller
chunks: three brief periods of physical activity a day, for example. In order
for it to be effective in improving health and fitness, you need to be sure to
sustain the activity for at least 10 minutes at a time.
Exercise: What You Need to Lose or Maintain Weight
A combination of dieting and exercise is more effective for
weight loss than dieting alone. To lose weight, 60 minutes of moderate to
vigorous intensity physical activity on most days is recommended. Physical
activity is also important to maintain weight loss. Moderate intensity physical
activity for 60 to 90 minutes on most days will help maintain weight loss. Of course,
a healthful, low-calorie diet is also important for both losing and maintaining
weight. The amount of exercise you need for weight loss or weight control
depends on what you eat, as well as on the type of exercise you choose.
No comments:
Post a Comment