Weekly Tips for Your Peak Fitness and Wellness

This Week's Tip: How Much Exercise is Enough?

Do you feel like every time you turn around there’s a new study out with information on how much exercise is the “right” amount for good health and fitness? And have you noticed that the “right” amount is different depending on which study you’re hearing? Personally, it drove us crazy a couple years ago when the newly released “national guidelines” suggested that everyone should exercise at least 60 to as much as 90 minutes every day, but then didn’t specify at what intensity that should be, nor did they account for strength training or other lifestyle activity. Talk about wanting to give up before you get started! In the end, it seems that the only thing health and fitness experts agree on is that any amount of exercise is better than none at all. (We at Outside in Fitness have been touting this all along!) Beyond that, the amount of exercise that’s right for you depends on you and your personal health and wellness goals.

In 1996 the U.S. Surgeon General recommended that Americans engage in moderate physical activity for at least half an hour a day, most days of each week. The 30 minutes can be done all at once, or broken up into 10 to 15 minute sessions. Strictly speaking of aerobic (aka cardiovascular) exercise, those recommendations are still a good starting point today. Once you’ve developed a baseline, add minutes to your workouts or intensify your exercise as your strength and endurance improve.