How much exercise do you need?

Sometimes, as a chiropractor, I forget that what is “common sense” may not be obvious to everyone. For example, how much should you exercise may be a poorly understood question.

A physiotherapist highlighted on twitter that only a third of physiotherapists in UK are familiar with current recommendations for physical activity.

This might be a good opportunity to share how much is enough. It works out to:

• 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, or
• 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise, and
• At least two sessions of strength training per week

That’s it! Easy stuff. One minute of vigorous intensity exercise works out to two minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

The recommendations are similar for both UK (Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers’ report) and Singapore (Health Promotion Board Launches National Physical Activity Guidelines).

Here is also a good time to point out that not all exercises are created equal. Resistance training (i.e. weight training, strength training) has the greatest effect on muscle and bone health. This is why there is an emphasis on strength training.

Are you currently already exercising? If not, this may be a good goal for you to work towards.

For those who are already meeting the guideline recommendations, do consider if your current routine involve enough strength training.

Happy Monday!