How Much Exercise Do You Need? Last reviewed by Faculty of
Harvard Medical School on January 24, 2013 By Harvey B. Simon,
M.D. Your brother plays tennis every weekend, and your partner
hits the gym three times a week. Your lady walks every day, your
nephew is training for a marathon, and his sister takes yoga and
dance. You putter in the yard and enjoy a round of golf now and
then, but you've finally decided to get serious about exercise.
To put good intentions into action, you need a goal. How much
exercise do you need? Ask the U.S. Surgeon General, the
Institute of Medicine, the American Heart Association, and the
American College of Sports Medicine and you're likely to get
four different answers. That's no surprise. In fact, you're the
only one who can decide just how much and what kind of exercise
is best for you. People exercise for one of five reasons: The
amount of exercise you need depends on: And the type of exercise
you use to meet your needs depends on: Let's look at these in
more detail. 1. Exerci