Weight loss appears to be a major concern for a great number of people. This is why fad diets are always talked about. One day it’s keto, another day it’s intermittent fasting. Many people, especially women are constantly looking for ways to keep their weight in check. A big part of weight control is what you put into your body. The other part is how much energy you use up. And that’s where exercise comes in.
For many people, when they hear the word exercise, they immediately picture people running long distances, or people who go to the gym everyday to lift weights. But the truth is that all physical activity can count towards exercise. And there is exercise suited for everyone.
For maintenance of health, it is recommended that adults between the ages of 19-64 years perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic/cardiovascular exercise a week or a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week as well as strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)
150 minutes spread over a week is 30 minutes on 5 days every week, and this is really the bare minimum. Most of us probably spend more than 30 minutes a day on our phones not doing anything particularly productive.
Examples of activities that require moderate effort for most people include:
- brisk walking
- water aerobics
- riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
- doubles tennis
- Doing house chores
- volleyball
- Basketball
Multi-ethnic group of middle aged and senior women getting fit, in a water aerobics class. They are standing in the water, in a swimming pool, holding foam dumbbells above their heads. They are facing the instructor who has her back to the camera. The focus is on the instructor, in the foreground.
Moderate activity will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer.
Examples of activities that require vigorous effort for most people include:
- jogging or running
- swimming fast
- riding a bike fast or on hills
- singles tennis
- football
- skipping rope
- aerobics
- gymnastics
- martial arts
Examples of muscle-strengthening activities for most people include:
- lifting weights
- working with resistance bands
- doing exercises that use your own body weight, such as push-ups and sit-ups
- heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling
- yoga
- Pilates
Muscle-strengthening exercises are counted in repetitions and sets. A repetition is 1 complete movement of an activity, like a biceps curl or a sit-up. A set is a group of repetitions. You don’t need to be in a gym to carry out any of these exercises. Using your body weight works well, so you can perform these exercises/activities anywhere.
Some vigorous activities count as both an aerobic activity and a muscle-strengthening activity.
Examples include: sports such as football and volleyball.
All that has been outlined above is the minimum exercise requirement to maintain health. For weight control, it may be necessary to do more. However it is important to keep in mind that exercising doesn’t have to be a big deal, it should be incorporated into our daily lives by doing simple things like:
- Skipping the elevator and taking the stairs instead
- Walking instead of driving when you have errand to run nearby
- Picking up a sport you like to play and doing it at least once a week
This way we can all be a part of #FitFam
