Everyone wants to lose weight and look good. But exercise is not just about how you look, it is also important for your health.
Once upon a time, everyone spent long days of work filled with physical activity like farming. But in modern times we all spend our time seated at a desk. Then we get home and lie on a couch.
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Even people who work in stores or restaurants and spend all day on their feet do not really get an adequate amount of exercise from their jobs. And then, at the end of such a workday, they are exhausted and have no energy for exercise.
And therein lies the problem. People either have no time in their schedules for exercise, or no energy for it if they do have the time. And everyone knows that getting a home stationary bicycle or some other exercise equipment does not help either. People who have these things rarely, if ever, use them.
But if you do have the time and the energy to make it to a gym and really exercise, what should you be doing and how much time is needed for an adequate workout?
Well, it all depends on how old you are and other factors such as how much physical activity do you get on average each day without even going to the gym.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.” Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work, explains the WHO. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health.
The WHO also explains that physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases mortality. “People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active,” it says.
Regular physical activity, such as walking, cycling, wheeling, doing sports, or active recreation, provides “significant benefits for health. Some physical activity is better than doing none.” By becoming more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can easily achieve the recommended activity levels.
For the adult working population – people aged 18 – 64 – the WHO recommends at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. That, or one should get an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week.
People in this age group should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits. They may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.
