You may be having issues calculating how much exercise or workout you need per day. Sometimes, you are most likely not sure of what the recommendation is.
We have put together this article to give you a breakdown of the amount of exercise that everybody needs, going by age.
First, a model by the World Health Organization (WHO) divides the entire population into 3 major groups.
Children and adolescents 5-17 years, adults 18-64 years and 65 years and older.
Basically, everyone needs a specific level of physical activity on a daily basis.
For children, the major duty is on parents. They should do their best to see that they begin to teach their children the need to exercise.
This training should begin from age 5, as that is the first grade level of the WHO recommendation.
Not giving them this training means that later in life, they will will find it hard to intentionally maintain a good physical activity level.
For how much exercise you need, we will begin with the younger persons.
How Much Exercise People Between 5-17 Need
WHO recommends that children and adolescents do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous-intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week (1).
According to WHO, ensuring children engage in physical activity helps improve physical fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness) and cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, glucose, and insulin resistance).
Also, it improves bone health, cognitive outcomes (academic performance, executive function), mental health (reduced symptoms of depression) and reduces adiposity.
What the world health body recommends are vigorous-intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone. This should be part of their activities at least 3 days a week.
While children maintain this physical activity level, parents should ensure they limit the amount of time they spend being sedentary.
One area to look at is the amount of recreational screen time.
How Much Exercise Does Adults 18 – 64 Years Need?
Unfortunately, the amount of time adults spend being sedentary is increasing. It now requires that adults intentionally incorporate physical activities to their daily activities.
Sadly, higher amounts of sedentary behaviour are associated with poor health outcomes.
In fact, this lifestyle increases all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer mortality.
It also raises risks of incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes.
On the reverse side, physical activity improves all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality and incident hypertension.
Also, it improves incident site-specific cancers, incident type-2 diabetes, mental health (reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression) and cognitive health.
It also improves sleep and measures of adiposity.
Furthermore, adults should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity every week.
Alternatively, you should engage in at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity.
Furthermore, they can do an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits.
Some form of activities you should engage in are muscles strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity.
You should try lifting weight, push ups, swimming and other muscle-impacting exercises.
This should involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week. Basically, these physical activities provide additional health benefits.
Also, adults may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes.
On the other hand, they may do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
What this translates to is at least 22 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per day.
Also engaging in equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week would provide additional health benefits.
65 Years And Older
People who are 44 years and above also need a consistent level of physical activity to stay healthy.
In fact experts say that in such persons, physical activity improves all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
It also lowers incident hypertension, incident, site-specific cancers, incident type-2 diabetes and mental health.
Other benefits are reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, cognitive health, and sleep.
Also, their measures of adiposity may improve.
It is easier for persons within this age range to fall, but physical activity helps prevent falls and falls-related injuries.
Physical activities will reduce declines in bone health and functional ability.
For persons within this age grade, experts recommend at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity every week.
Alternatively, they can engage in at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity.
Also Read: 7 Easy Ways To Cultivate Workout Habit
Furthermore, they can do an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits.
Find what works for you and begin gradually to add adequate physical activity to your daily routine.
The benefits you get begins from the very minute you engage in physical activity that impacts your body organs.