The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that healthy adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week along with at least two days of muscle-strengthening activity. However, these general guidelines define only the minimum exercise that you need. How you fit in those minutes of exercise, how much exercise will help you meet specific fitness goals, and which forms of exercise you choose depend on your preferences.
Moderate Versus Strenuous Exercise
A week contains 10,080 minutes, yet the current guidelines recommend spending only 150 of them engaged in moderately challenging exercise. That breaks down to five days a week of 30-minute intervals. You may choose to get your minimum exercise with vigorous intensity, in which case the CDC recommends as little as 75 minutes per week -- 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Only you know how hard you're exercising, but if you're in overall good health, it's better to assume that your workouts count as moderate instead of assuming a leisurely walk is "strenuous" and then underdo it. The CDC suggests doubling these recommendations as your fitness increases.
Muscle-Building Exercise
Exercises such as weightlifting, rock climbing and other muscle-building activities should be a part of your exercise schedule at least two days a week. Unlike aerobic exercise, muscle-building exercise requires a recovery period. The staff at Mayo Clinic recommend waiting a full day between workouts for major muscle groups. Bodybuilders typically work on upper body muscles one day and the lower body the next so they can continue their conditioning daily while still giving their bodies a chance to rest. Working out the same muscles two days in a row not only raises your risk of exercise-related injury, it's also counterproductive. Resting muscles is a part of building them, so take the recommended day between workouts of the same muscles.
Types of Exercise
If you're a bodybuilder or athlete who's in training for a competition, you probably have a coach who takes control of your workouts. Otherwise, you're probably on your own when it comes to designing your exercise program. The best exercise program is the one you'll enjoy doing for the long term, so build your exercise regimen around activities you enjoy. A brisk walk counts as moderate aerobic exercise, and, for this reason, many people start with walking as the foundation of their exercise program. They can then build up to jogging and running or just stick to walking. Swimming, biking and group classes might also pique your interest as fitness activities.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
Researchers have become keenly interested in non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, as one contributing factor in the increase in obesity. NEAT includes activities that aren't officially exercise, but still contribute to your overall level of fitness. Dancing, housework, stocking shelves, preparing a meal, running errands on foot or playing with your kids, for example, all count as NEAT. The CDC makes no specific recommendation about NEAT because the more you have of it, the better your health tends to be. James A. Levine of the Mayo Clinic examined data that showed obese participants sat an average of 2.5 hours more per day than their lean counterparts. He described the rise in obesity as a natural outgrowth of "the emergence of a chair-enticing environment." Get more NEAT as often as you can.
