How much exercise do you need? Two leading health groups have new recommendations, updating the previous guidelines that came out in 1995.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend weight lifting and vigorous exercise and give a specific number of days you should workout. The groups say their advice can keep you healthy, and reduce the risk of chronic disease and premature death.
The new guidelines say healthy adults should aim for:
- moderately-intense aerobic physical activity at least 30 minutes five days a week
- or vigorous aerobic exercise at least 20 minutes three days a week
- plus weight lifting – doing 8-10 different exercises on two non-consecutive days a week
Moderately-intense aerobic activity can be:
- a brisk walk
- light jogging
- other exercise that gets your heart rate up
An example of vigorous exercise is jogging or exercise that causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate.
Also in the new guidelines – specific advice for people 65 and older, urging them to consider lifting weights, improving their strength to prevent falls, and working on flexibility exercises and balance training.
The advice comes as sedentary lifestyles and obesity cause a growing number of health problems including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, colon cancer, and breast cancer.
The 1995 recommendations had stated that every adult in the U.S. should get 30 minutes or more of moderately-intense exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week.
