Not too long ago, experts agreed that people needed about 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day or 150 minutes a week to live longer and stay healthy. And, if you exercise intensely, 10 minutes a day could be enough. Gretchen Reynolds reports for the New York Times on the latest thinking on when to exercise, what counts as moderate or intense exercise, how much exercise is needed in one session and more.
No question that exercise improves your health and well-being. Exercise is good for the body, the mind and the soul. And, a little can go a long way.
Experts appear to assume that daily exercise is asking too much. Instead, they look for 3o minutes of exercise five times each week. They say that this simple task reduces the risk of premature death and disease, including stroke, diabetes, cancer and heart attack.
The goal of moderate exercise is to increase your heart rate and feel a little bit out of breath. You can do that six times a day for five minutes a time, three times a day for ten minutes, twice a day for 15 minutes, or once a day for 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter. Even 15 two-minute walks each day is good.
Packing the 15o minutes into the weekend is also helpful in terms of extending your life expectancy relative to people who never exercise. But, it’s not ideal to sit still all week and exercise only on Saturdays and Sundays.
The benefits of doing some exercise each day include better control of your blood-sugar and better mental health. Moreover, exercising daily lowers your risk of hurting yourself as a result of exercise. Ideally, you want to be taking around 8,000 steps a day.
To maintain your weight as you age, you need to exercise even more. One study found that an hour a day of moderate exercise is needed.
Here’s more from Just Care:
Leave a Reply