One of the most frequently asked questions among exercisers is, “How long should I work out?” The answer depends on your goals and present health situation.
While following minimum physical activity standards can help to preserve health and prevent the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle, losing weight and getting fit requires more work. Furthermore, an individual’s present level of fitness will influence how much they should exercise each day.
When people ponder how long they should exercise, they may desire a shorter response rather than a longer one. In fact, the most recent health and fitness fad are to conduct shorter workouts to lose weight. However, whether you’re aiming to reduce weight or improve your fitness, this fad may not be for everyone.
Fitness trends are not the best way to estimate how long you should exercise. Of course, you can (and should) continue to integrate brief workouts into your routine on a regular basis.
However, if you want to reduce weight and stay healthy, you will need to complete some longer cardiovascular workouts.
To Lose Pounds
To lose weight, some experts recommend 150-250 minutes of activity each week. More activity, according to the group, produces better benefits.
If you want to lose weight permanently, the ACSM recommends at least 250 minutes of moderate to high-intensity activity every week.
You might simply exercise for 40 minutes every day to meet the ACSM recommendation. However, that workout plan may become monotonous, causing you to abandon your program. Furthermore, to reduce weight properly, you must exercise at various intensities.
This necessitates adjusting your workout length to accommodate the varying demands. It is also beneficial to keep track of your daily calorie requirements for weight loss. This calculator will give you an estimate.
Increase your strength.
Muscle mass declines with age, emphasizing the significance of regular resistance training. Strength training strengthens muscles and bones to support joints and prevent fractures, and it can even help with arthritis management.
In addition to developing a regular strength training plan, it’s critical to incorporate adequate cardiovascular activity to maintain or increase your present level of aerobic fitness.
Changing up your workout routines and workout lengths can help you avoid boredom and stay motivated. However, make time for rest and recovery days to avoid injury or burnout.
According to a 2016 review and meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine, strength training at least twice a week can efficiently grow and strengthen muscle. However, some experts propose three days or more.
Maintain Your Health
Physical activity recommendations for adults and children in the United States are provided by the American Heart Association (AHA).
The list below has some of their recommendations.
Adults: Americans aged 18 and up should engage in 150 minutes of hard or moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. Or 75 minutes of higher-intensity activity or a combination of the two. The AHA also suggests doing strength and resistance training at least twice a week.
Children: The AHA recommends that children aged 3-5 be very active throughout the day. Children aged 6 to 17 should get 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity cardiovascular exercise every day, with at least three days per week of vigorous intensity. Strength-training activities for this age range should be done at least three times per week, with frequency and intensity steadily increasing with time.
To obtain the health advantages of regular exercise, the AHA recommends that individuals gradually increase the duration and intensity of exercise to a weekly goal of 300 minutes (5 hours).
The AHA advocates becoming less sedentary whenever feasible to include more heart-pumping physical activity into your everyday routine. According to the AHA, even mild movement can help counteract the hazards linked with excessive sitting.
Furthermore, the AHA recommends the following activities:
Exercise at a Moderate Intensity
- Social or ballroom dancing
- brisk strolling (at least 2.5 miles per hour)
- Biking at speed slower than 10 mph
- Tennis in pairs
- Gardening
- Aqua aerobics
High-Intensity Exercise
- Dancing aerobically
- 10 mph or faster cycling
- Rope jumping
- Hiking (uphill or with a hefty backpack) (uphill or with a heavy backpack)
- Tennis for singles
- Lap swimming
- Yardwork that is meticulous
- Running
While getting enough exercise is critical for maintaining and enhancing health, staying hydrated and eating well are equally important.
How Long Should You Exercise Each Day?
How long you should exercise each day is determined by the workouts you choose, as well as your unique health and fitness goals.
If you are in good enough shape to engage in intense exercise, your workout schedule should include hard, 20-30 minutes of high-intensity days, 30-45 minutes of easy days to recover, and moderate days to develop endurance, improve heart health, and burn fat (45 to 90 minutes).
Each of these training objectives necessitates a different amount of exercise time. In general, you should adopt a combination of the following each week.
Days with Fewer Exercises (20-30 minutes)
Workouts with high-intensity intervals (HIIT) must be brief. Why? Because your body just cannot work hard for an extended amount of time. If you can do high-intensity drills for an hour or more, you’re probably not working hard enough.
HIIT workouts should last 20-30 minutes and be quite challenging. Keep in mind that you burn more calories via EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), often known as “the afterburn,” if you plan high-intensity exercises properly.
Using a heart rate monitor, track your workout intensity and ensure you hit your target heart rate for the session. If you are well-rested before your workout, you will find it easier to work hard enough to achieve your goal.
Days of Easier Recovery (30-45 minutes)
The goal of an easy day workout is to give your body and mind a break. Of course, you may rest on the couch as well. However, active rehabilitation improves your body’s range of motion, reduces stress, and raises your daily calorie burn.
Active recuperation is just a low-intensity movement that improves the joint range of motion. A simple walk or a leisurely swim is an excellent active recovery activity for many people. Yoga classes (for example, restorative yoga) are another viable choice. A 30-45-minute vigorous recovery workout is sufficient.
Long Days of Moderate Exercise (45-90 minutes)
The majority of your workouts over the week will be moderate. These workouts burn more calories than a rest day while still allowing your body to heal and prepare for days of high-intensity exercise.
For those moderate activity days, you’ll need to exercise for longer to burn enough calories to lose weight. Make these sessions at least 45 minutes long.
If possible, schedule one 75-minute or longer workout per week. This lengthier session intellectually pushes you while also increasing your cardiovascular endurance.
To Conclude
If trying to fit all of these workouts into your weekly calendar sounds overwhelming, start by selecting 1-2 days per week for your most difficult activities. Then, after each difficult day, plan an easy day. Finally, fill up the remaining days with moderate sessions, including a rest and recovery day.
You can create your own exercise plan or follow an example workout program to get started. Working with a personal trainer may also be beneficial. Creating a personalized plan that you can stick to in the long run will help you achieve your goals.