A question that my client’s often ask is how much exercise is enough to stay healthy?
In order to answer that question, I often have to follow it up with a couple of questions of my own: What is your goal? Do you want cardiovascular health or to build strength/increased muscle size?
If you want cardiovascular fitness (think healthy heart/lungs) then the minimal effective dose is dependent on how you do the exercise. If you are doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts then 30 minutes per week will do. If you are doing general cardiovascular workouts (jogging, cycling etc.) at a pace in which it is difficult to maintain conversation then 150 minutes per week is recommended.
If you want to add on strength and size and you are not already regularly working out then you need to spend 30 minutes exercising per week (2 workouts of 15 minutes each is typically recommended). Each workout should include 1-2 sets per muscle group you wish to see increased size/strength and should you should be lifting at 80% of your one rep max. Also, if you already workout regularly you may need to double or even quadruple the time depending on your base line level of fitness in order to get significant results.
If you have any questions, leave us a comment or e-mail me directly at david@iclickphysio.com. We are here to help you with physiotherapy everywhere!