HOW MUCH EXERCISE SHOULD I BE DOING?

Exercise is great for your body and mind, and the scientific evidence supports this without question. But how much exercise is enough to gain the optimal health benefits? Whether you have recently been getting into a routine of more regular exercise, you’ve been exercising for a while already, or you are still contemplating starting a more regular exercise routine, a pat on the back for you for appreciating the wonderful and powerful health benefits of EXERCISE! :)

The ACSM recommendations for physical activity are split up into 3 categories (aerobic, strength and flexibility), with an additional category added for older adults (neuromotor). This blog outlines the recommendations for the general, healthy public as set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM 10th ed).

** Please note - If you have additional health concerns / considerations, you may want to consider chatting with your GP or a clinical exercise physiologist before beginning a new regime.

  • Aerobic: Any rhythmic activity including large muscle groups. This includes a wide range of cardiovascular / endurance based exercise such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, even dancing! The recommended minimum dose to achieve health benefits is for 3-5 sessions per week of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise, where optimal duration depends on the intensity of exercise, i.e.

    • 3 sessions per week of 20+ minutes vigorous intensity,

    • 5 sessions per week of 30+ minutes moderate intensity,

    • 3-5 sessions per week for a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise.

For individuals starting exercise for the first time (or the first time in a while!), starting at a lower intensity and building up towards moderate or vigorous intensity may be necessary. The exercise session can also be split up into multiple bouts of 10 minutes or more spread throughout the day.

  • Strength: This denotes training with resistance - for example using free weights, resistance bands, machines, or even your own bodyweight. The general recommendations are for 2-3 sessions per week for each major muscle group, with at least 48 hours in between sessions to allow for muscle recovery. This can be done by exercising all the major muscle groups in the same session with a day of rest in between, or splitting the exercises up across several sessions (e.g. upper body versus lower body exercises) to allow for consecutive days of training.

    • The number of repetitions per exercise depends on the goals of the program - for example 8-12 repetitions is best for muscle mass development, where as a higher number of repetitions (15-25) is superior for endurance training, and lower repetitions (2-6) for power training. Aiming for around 10-15 repetitions is generally a good starting point.

    • The intensity of the exercises should be at a level that produces muscle fatigue within the last few repetitions of the set, but not at the expense of correct exercise technique.

    • The recommended number of sets (how many rounds of each exercise) is between 2-4 sets. This can either be done as numerous rounds of the same exercise (e.g. 2 x chest press exercise), or as different exercises which work the same muscle groups (i.e. 1 x chest press and 1 x push ups).

  • Flexibility: Stretching the muscles of the main joints to a point of tightness / slight discomfort. This is recommended at a minimum of 2-3 x per week, but can be done daily for best results. Stretches should be held for 20 - 30 seconds, and can be repeated to reach a total cumulative time of 60 seconds per muscle group. Stretches are more effective when the muscles are warmed up, and for this reason it is often good to use them as part of the cool down after exercise.

  • Neuromotor: These exercises are particularly important for coordination and fall prevention throughout the older years. The guidelines for neuromotor training, while limited, recommend 2-3 days per week of 20-30 minutes doing exercises which challenge balance, agility and coordination. KinetEx offers Balance and Stability classes across West Auckland, based around fall prevention for seniors. Click here for more details on how you can get involved.

While these recommendations may seem like a lot, it is important to remember that anything is better than nothing. The more you can do, the better (within reason!), so these guidelines provide a goal to build up towards. As with all exercise, slow and steady progressions are the key to sustainable exercise! Start conservatively and build up gradually for the best results!

If you have additional health considerations that limit you or are unsure of where to start to get into a healthy exercise routine, we can help. Contact us at KinetEx for a free, no-obligation initial consultation!

Yolanda van Vugt