How active should I be?

To stay healthy and happy you should try and be active for

30 minutes every day for adults
or
1 hour everyday for children and youth

Regular vigorous exercise adds an extra level for those people who wish to achieve greater health and fitness benefits.
If you are already doing some light activities, move up to more moderate ones. A little is good, but more is even better if you want to achieve health benefits.
The National Physical Activity Guidelines have 4 simple steps to help you become more healthy.

Moderate activity

This means doing an activity that makes you warm and makes you breathe heavier than usual.

You should be able to walk briskly but be able to talk as you walk. Examples include mowing the lawn, digging in the garden, or medium paced swimming or cycling.

Vigorous activity

This means doing an activity which makes you ‘huff and puff’. Examples include jogging, fast cycling, aerobics and active sports such as football, squash and basketball.

More energetic activity is fine as long as you feel okay and are still able to talk while you are exercising. If you can't talk while being active, you are probably working too hard.

Do I have to do a full 30 minutes each day?

You don't have to do 30 minutes all in one go. You can break it into chunks. You could do:

10 minutes walking to and from the bus stop
10 minutes moving around while on the phone
15 minutes walking the dog or catching up with friends for a walk

Related Links