How much exercise is recommended for adults?

Active life provides many benefits for our health. Apart from keeping us away from various physical diseases such as coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, colon cancer, breast cancer, and diabetes mellitus, exercise can also keep us from mental disorders such as depression. Exercise makes you healthier physically and mentally healthier.

For those aged 18-64 years, WHO (World Health Organization) recommendminimal 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise. Confused? Let's discuss them one by one.

The type of exercise that is recommended for adults

1. Aerobic type sports

The recommended sport is aerobic type. Some types of sports that are included in the aerobic exercise class are:

run (jogging)
walk fast
swimming
cycling
aerobics
competition team sports such as football and basketball.

There is no "best" type of exercise. You are free to decide which type of exercise you like and you can do it easily. For example, of course swimming is not the right choice if you cannot swim or do not have access to a swimming pool. If you have been exercising for a long time and have doubts about choosing the type of exercise, you can try walking fast. Walking fast is considered easy to do and you can do it anywhere. You can even do it in the mall!

Choose sports that you can do together with your family or friends. People who do exercise together tend to be more consistent in exercising. This is not surprising. Sports that are done together are certainly more fun. If you have a history of injury or have a history of certain diseases, first discuss with your doctor about exercise options that are safe for you.

2. Moderate or high intensity exercise

A practical and easy way that you can do to determine whether the exercise you are doing is moderate or high intensity, is to use the following "test":

When you do moderate intensity exercise, you can still speak freely while exercising, but you don't "have enough breath" to sing.
When you do high intensity exercise, then you can only speak in a breathless manner where your sentence will be cut off because you have to take a breath.

For that, try to say one sentence and sing for a moment to find out the intensity of the exercise you are doing.

How long does the exercise take?

According to WHO recommendations, it is recommended that you do 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise.

Does this mean you have to exercise for 2.5 hours (150 minutes) or 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) non-stop? Certainly not. You can divide it into several days. American cardiologist association or American Heart Association (AHA) suggests the following.

150 minutes per week for moderate intensity. It is best to exercise at least as long 5 days a week, and in a day at least you exercise for 30 minutes.
75 minutes per week for high intensity. It is best to exercise at least as long 3 days a week, and in a day at least you exercise for 25 minutes.

What if you can't exercise for 30 minutes?

If 30 minutes is still too long for you, you can divide it into 3 short 10-minute sessions. According to WHO, the minimum useful duration of exercise is 10 minutes.

What if you feel tired before 10 minutes? Don't push yourself! In people who are just starting out in sports, this happens a lot. When you feel weak, take a break immediately. Drastic changes in the body can be dangerous. You don't need to be discouraged if you can't reach your ideal target. The more often you exercise, your capacity in exercising will increase.

What if moderate intensity exercise is too much for you?

If you are already struggling with even moderate intensity exercise, you can start an active life by doing other, lighter activities.

Some of the activities you can do are walking more (for example, avoiding using a vehicle when going to a convenience store near the house or just walking around the mall while washing your eyes), dancing, doing household chores, gardening, taking pet dog afternoon walks, and playing with children (for example hide and seek or jump rope).

So, to be healthier, what activities will you try to do today?