Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It has many benefits. It can improve your overall health and fitness and reduce your risk for many chronic diseases.To get the most benefit, here’s how much physical activity you should get:
For adults:
Get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. Or you could do a combination of the two. Also, do strengthening activities twice per week.
For preschool-aged children (ages 3-5):
Preschool children should be physically active throughout the day, to help with their growth and development.
They should get both structured and unstructured active play. Structured play has a goal and is directed by an adult. Examples include playing a sport or a game. Unstructured play is creative free play, such as playing on a playground.
For children and teens:
Get 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day. Most of it should be moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
- Activ
ities should vary and be a good fit for the child’s age and physical development - Moderate-intensity aerobic activities include walking, running, skipping, playing on the playground, playing basketball, and biking.
Also, try to get each of these at least 3 days a week: vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, and bone-strengthening activity.
- Vigorous-intensity aerobic activities include running, doing jumping jacks, and fast swimming.
- Muscle-strengthening activities include playing on playground equipment, playing tug-of-war, and doing pushups and pull-ups
- Bone-strengthening activities include hopping, skipping, doing jumping jacks, playing volleyball, and working with resistance bands
For older adults, pregnant women, and people with chronic health problems:
Older adults, pregnant women, and people who have special health needs should check with their health care provider on how much physical activity they should get and what types of activities they should do.
If you have been inactive, you may need to start slowly. You can keep adding more gradually. The more you can do, the better. But try not to feel overwhelmed, and do what you can. Getting some physical activity is always better than getting none.
