Adult needs for physical activity
People age 18 and over need to be physical active 30 to 60 minutes, most days of the week. Incorporating activity into your day will have significant health benefits and may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
The actual time you may need depends on the effort you expend. Generally, the less vigorous the activity, the more you'll need to do. For light activities, you'll need to do about 60 minutes a day to stay healthy; moderate activities, 30 to 60 minutes; and vigorous activities, 20 to 30 minutes.
Light activities make you start to feel warm and involve a slight increase in your breathing rate. They require about 60 minutes a day. These may include:
- Light walking
- Easy gardening
- Stretching or yoga
- A low-intensive game of volleyball
Moderate activities make you feel warmer and increase your breathing rate more. They require 30 to 60 minutes a day. These may include:
- Brisk walking
- Riding a bike
- Raking leaves
- Water aerobics
- Swimming
- Dancing
Vigorous activities make you breathe hard and perspire. They require only 20 to 30 minutes a day. They may include:
- Aerobics
- Jogging
- Hockey
- Basketball
- Fast swimming
- Fast dancing
You may wish to mix and match your activities, varying your level depending on your time, your energy and the circumstances that day. You might choose to do an hour of yard work one day, half an hour of bike riding with the kids the next, and a yoga class the day after that. There's no right combination, as long as you're meeting the minimum times for the intensity you've chosen – although chances are that once activity becomes a part of your daily life, you'll feel so good you'll choose to do more than the minimum.
Last reviewed April 2007.
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© – Reproduced with permission of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2007
