the amount of exercise you would need per week depends on your overall health and fitness goals. the american college of sports medicine recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity (brisk walking) exercise per week for general heart health. if you want to lose weight 250 minutes a week or more is suggested. aerobic exercise can be broken into 10 minute bouts adding up to 30 minutes as long as the 10 minute sessions are at moderate intensity. this is a tough question to answer without a little more information. the major one being what are you goals or why are you exercising? -to lose weight -training for an event (10k race or mini-marathon) -training for an intense vacation (climbing mount kilimanjaro) -stress management -or are you just training for life 1. weight loss -combine both aerobic exercise and strength training into your routine -these can either be done on the same day or on different days -plan on exercising 5-6 days a week -work up to 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week or 60-80 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise -keep in mind intensity always trumps volume meaning vigorous intensity exercises can actually burn more calories in a shorter period of time than longer slower workouts -you need to slowly increase the time you exercise and the intensity to avoid injury 2. training for a race or intense vacation -make sure you tackle all three types of workouts: aerobic strength and flexibility -plan on training 5-6 days a week -shuffle both your intensity and duration to maximize performance -look for clubs and groups in your area that can give you specific tips 3. stress management -as much as you want as long as it doesn't become a chore or you overdue it -many people find light exercise (walking meditative yoga) 3-4 times a week for 20-30 minutues really helps 4. training for life -any of the tips from above will help -however also be sure to include some balance and agility work in your routine as we age balance and agility decline which can result in falls and injury for more info follow visit these links -lose weight fast: how to do it safely -sofa to 5k running tips -yoga for stress management -functional fitness i belong to a kickboxing gym (i hit bags not people) and i find that three classes a week plus one day of weights keeps me in good condition. 5 days a week
how many days a week should i exercise?