The World Health Organisation has said that “1 in 4 adults do not meet the global recommended levels of physical activity” (WHO, Nov 2020). But the amount of time spent exercising is crucial as both too little and too much exercise is no good for you!
Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity such as a brisk walk, jog or biking at least 5 times a day. A slow leisure walk for 15 minutes is great to relax but is too little exercise. Going for a walk for 30 minutes only 3 times a week is not enough either. Too little exercise does not benefit your body in any way so if you are making the effort, make it count.
The correct amount of exercise varies from individual to individual. However, the recommendation for adults is 150 to 300 minutes per week or 30 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days a week. For example, if you are at a healthy weight, you should walk for at least 30 minutes at a brisk pace so that your heart rate increases a little bit, you are breathing faster and break into a sweat.
If you are working on losing weight or reducing your blood pressure, you might want to exercise moderately for 60 minutes a day most days of the week. A person training for a marathon may exercise even more under supervision. It depends on your weight, stamina, current state of health and personal goals how many minutes you choose to exercise every day or 5 to 6 days of the week. You can break up your exercise time and do half the exercise in the morning and the other half in the evening too. It doesn’t have to be all at once! It is better to gradually increase your workout time and take at least one day of rest a week for your body to repair and recover. Include cardiovascular exercise, strength training and exercises to improve flexibility in your weekly workouts.
People with a good stamina can do just 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity such as running, dancing or hiking each week to keep healthy and meet their fitness goals. Exercise has tremendous health benefits in preventing disease, increasing longevity and maintaining physical and mental well-being.
On the other hand, overdoing exercise can be detrimental for your body and health. Too much exercise may dehydrate you, leave your muscles sore, cause inflammation or leave you fatigued. If you plan to exercise more than an hour a day, you should check with your doctor first to avoid long-term effects of over-exercise. According to medical experts too much exercise could lead to lowered immunity, disturbed sleep, exercise addiction, elevated resting heart rate and other conditions. Exercise is meant to keep you healthy and fit; not to make you tired, injured or sick so watch out how you feel during your workout and keep an eye on the clock.
