How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need Each Week?

Adults need at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a combination of the two, according to MedlinePlus: How Much Exercise Do I Need?. The same page says to also do strengthening activities two or more days per week. It adds that getting some physical activity is always better than getting none.

How many minutes of aerobic activity do adults need each week?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides physical activity guidelines for all Americans ages 3 and older. The Recommendations page cited in the table caption below reports what those guidelines advise for all adults as two amounts: one for major health benefits and one for even more health benefits.

The Recommendations page gives a conversion for a combination of both intensities: "A general rule is that 2 minutes of moderate-intensity activity counts the same as 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity." Take a made-up week of 90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity and 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. The 30 vigorous minutes count as 30 × 2 = 60 moderate minutes, and 90 + 60 = 150 minutes, the amount in the first row of the table.

A third page words the amount for healthy adults. The guidelines recommend that healthy adults take part in moderate-intensity aerobic activity, "such as brisk walking or dancing, for at least 150 minutes a week," according to NIDDK: Eating & Physical Activity to Lose or Maintain Weight. Under its heading "How can I maintain weight loss?" that page gives a second figure: "To prevent weight regain, aim for at least 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity."

What do moderate and vigorous intensity mean?

On a scale of 0 to 10, moderate-intensity activity is a 5 or 6 and vigorous-intensity activity is a 7 or 8, according to the Types page cited in the next table. That page says the level of intensity depends on how hard you have to work to do the activity. In its words, "what is light-intensity activity for one person may be moderate-intensity for another."

The encyclopedia entry gives the arithmetic behind the heart-rate row: "To find your approximate maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220." For a made-up 50-year-old, 220 − 50 = 170 beats per minute, 50% of 170 is 85, 70% of 170 is 119 and 85% of 170 is 144.5. The entry's own chart lists 85 to 145 beats per minute for a 50-year-old.

Two of the pages cited here list brisk walking under different headings. The encyclopedia entry lists "Brisk walking (3.5 to 4.0 mph)" among its vigorous aerobic exercises. The National Institute on Aging: Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability gives brisk walking as its example of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.

How much muscle-strengthening activity do adults need?

Muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or vigorous intensity should be included 2 or more days a week, the Recommendations page says. These activities should work all the major muscle groups, which the page lists as legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. Its examples include lifting weights, working with resistance bands, and doing situps and pushups, yoga, and heavy gardening.

MedlinePlus adds a repetition count: for each exercise, try repeating the movement 8 to 12 times, and as you get stronger, work up to doing 2 or 3 rounds of each exercise. The National Institute on Aging page says one set of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise is effective, although two or three sets may be more effective. It also says to avoid working the same muscle group on any two days in a row.

An archived At-A-Glance fact sheet on this site, titled "Physical Activity and Your Heart" and dated August 2009, names pushups and situps, lifting weights, and climbing stairs as muscle-strengthening activities. The same fact sheet says aerobic activity is the type of physical activity that benefits your heart the most.

How do the amounts change for older adults or people with chronic conditions?

The Recommendations page has a section headed "Additional guidelines for adults aged 65 or older." It says older adults should follow the guidelines for adults, if possible. "If you can't do 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of activity each week, be as physically active as your abilities and condition allow," it continues.

That section makes two more points. If inactive, older adults should gradually increase their activity levels and avoid vigorous activity at first. People at risk for falls should do balance exercises, and the page's examples include walking backward or sideways, standing on one leg, and standing from a sitting position several times in a row.

The National Institute on Aging page words the aerobic goal as a build-up: "Gradually build up to at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) each week." Building up to 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or doing a combination of both, can also count toward that goal, it says. The page adds that "even light-intensity movement can be beneficial."

For a chronic condition such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, the Recommendations page says to ask your doctor what types and amounts of activity are safe for you. The diabetes and kidney institute's page cited above says adults with chronic health conditions or people with disabilities who cannot meet these guidelines should take part in regular physical activities that they can do safely.

For older adults with chronic conditions, the National Institute on Aging: Exercising With Chronic Conditions page says moderate-intensity activities such as brisk walking, riding a bike, swimming, weightlifting, and gardening are safe for most, especially if you build up slowly. Its section headed "Type 2 diabetes" opens: "Physical activity can help older adults manage type 2 diabetes and stay healthy longer." That section says to aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, plus two days a week of muscle-strengthening activity. Under high blood pressure it says moderate-intensity activity for 90 minutes a week can help to significantly lower the risk of heart disease.

Check Your Physical Activity & Heart Disease I.Q., a true-false physical activity quiz kept on this site, includes the statement "The older you are, the less active you need to be." Its answers mark that statement false and say: "Although we tend to become less active with age, physical activity is still important." The sheet carries the line "Originally Printed 1995 Reprinted August 1996."

The aging institute's page on exercise types says aerobic activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or nausea. If you don't know whether your chest pain is angina or a heart attack, call 9-1-1, says NHLBI: Heart Attack Symptoms. MedlinePlus says to check with your health care provider before you start exercising, to determine the best type or amount of activity for you; this guide is general education, not personal medical advice.

Is some physical activity better than none?

The Recommendations page says: "People gain health benefits from as little as 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week." Sixty minutes is 60 ÷ 150 = 0.4, or 40%, of the 150-minute amount in the first table. The same page says: "Some physical activity is better than none. Inactive adults should gradually increase their level of activity."

The Types page compares intensities. Moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activities are better for your heart than light-intensity activities, it says, and then: "However, even light-intensity activities are better than no activity at all." MedlinePlus puts it this way: "Even small increases in exercise can benefit your health."

The archived At-A-Glance fact sheet reads: "Doing some physical activity is better than doing none." Its figures for adults are at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week.

Two other archived publications on this site print a daily figure. Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart says: "To reduce the risk of heart disease, adults need only do about 30 minutes of moderate activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week." The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, whose listed audience is health professionals, says: "All adults should set a long-term goal to accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week."

Both of those pages carry the line "Reproduced as archived reference, not current guidance." With 5 as an example number of days, 30 × 5 = 150 minutes.

How should the weekly minutes be split across the week?

MedlinePlus says: "Try to spread your physical activity out over several days of the week. That's better than trying to do it all in one or two days." The Recommendations page says: "Spread the activity throughout the week."

The encyclopedia entry gives daily figures. Experts recommend getting at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise on most days with a target of 150 minutes per week, it says, and "This is 2.5 hours a week." At 30 minutes a day, 150 ÷ 30 = 5 days.

The entry continues: "You can also break this up into a few 10- or 15-minute sessions each day." Three 10-minute sessions (3 × 10 = 30) or two 15-minute sessions (2 × 15 = 30) add up to 30 minutes.

MedlinePlus says that some days you may not have long blocks of time to do physical activity. Its advice for those days: "You can start slowly and break your exercise time into chunks. Even small amounts of exercise can be helpful."

Two archived publications on this site also mention shorter periods. The quiz's answers say that if you do not have 30 minutes in your schedule for an exercise break, "try to find two 15-minute periods or even three 10-minute periods." Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart says "you can break up any activity into shorter periods of at least 10 minutes each."

The National Institute on Aging page on exercise types says: "Try to be active throughout your day and avoid sitting for long periods of time." More archived pages are listed on the physical activity topic page.