Exercise Guidelines - How Much is Enough?

"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness".
(Edward Stanley, 1873)

One of the first questions I get asked as a Personal Trainer is 'How much is enough?', or to translate, 'How little exercise can I get away with?'. Government guidelines suggest exercising at least three times per week for 40 minutes.

However, there is no single answer as everybody has different goals, different schedules, different preferences for training and a different genetic make-up.

Therefore each exercise programme will be different for each person. What works for a friend may not be suitable for you. For those who have less time each day, opt for frequent, short but intense workouts. Others may prefer to cycle/walk/run/swim or attend an aerobics class for 60minutes, 3 times a week. Once this becomes a regular habit, try pushing the bar a little higher, either adding an extra workout every week or training for longer.

Whichever exercise programme motivates you the most and suits your lifestyle, I recommend a combination of resistance (weight) training and aerobic activity, whilst increasing your everyday activity levels. Be sure to include a warm up, cool down and stretch each time you exercise to prevent injury.

Remember, there is no 'someday' on your calendar. Schedule exercise for a real day. How about today?!

Did you know....?

One in three Americans over the age of fifty is completely sedentary.
In a study conducted in California, 20% of people admitted they had done no vigorous activity for the past 20 years. And is this study 13% of colon cancer cases could be attributed to physical inactivity.
In a study conducted on a Chinese population, physical inactivity was an even greater risk to health than tobacco smoking. One-fifth of deaths in those over the age of 35 in Hong Kong in 1998 were due to physical inactivity.

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