Activity

MED (minimum effective dose)

Small amounts of physical activity can be helpful. Being active for short periods of time during the day can add up and have health benefits. 5

• Adults (19-64, and disabled, pregnant, or post-natal) should do some type of physical activity every day. Exercise just 1-2x/week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke.

• spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day
  

• reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity
  

• Points for the pregnant:
  

•     When you start exercising after pregnancy, make sure your physical activity choices reflect your activity levels before pregnancy. You should include strength training.
  

•     After your 6-8 week postnatal check, you can start to do more intense activities if you feel you're able to. Vigorous activity is not recommended if you were inactive before pregnancy. [1](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/)
  

Aerobic activity: =>150 minutes of moderate OR =>75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity/week.5 1

• You also can get an equal combination of moderate and vigorous activity.5

Aim to spread out this exercise over a few days or more in a week.5

GHB (greater health benefit)

=>300 minute/week of moderate aerobic activity. May help with weight loss or keeping off lost weight. Activity Clarifications

What counts as moderate aerobic activity?

Moderate activity will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity level is if you can still talk, but not sing.

Examples of moderate intensity activities include:

brisk [walking](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/walking-for-health/)
water aerobics
riding a bike
dancing
doubles tennis
pushing a lawn mower
hiking
rollerblading

What counts as vigorous activity?

Vigorous intensity activity makes you breathe hard and fast. If you're working at this level, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

In general, 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week can give similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity.

Most moderate activities can become vigorous if you increase your effort.

Examples of vigorous activities include:

running
swimming
riding a bike fast or on hills
walking up the stairs
sports, like football, rugby, netball and hockey
skipping
aerobics
gymnastics
martial arts

For a moderate to vigorous workout, get running with Couch to 5K, a 9-week running plan for beginners.

What counts as very vigorous activities Very vigorous activities are exercises performed in short bursts of maximum effort broken up with rest.

This type of exercise is also known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Examples of very vigorous activities include:

• lifting heavy weights
• circuit training
• sprinting up hills
• interval running
• running up stairs
• spinning classes

What activities strengthen muscles?

To get health benefits from strength exercises, you should do them to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether you're at home or in a gym.

Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include:

• carrying heavy shopping bags
• yoga
• pilates
• tai chi
• lifting weights
• working with resistance bands
• doing exercises that use your own body weight, such as push-ups and sit-ups
• heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling
• wheeling a wheelchair
• lifting and carrying children

Try exercise routines like:

strength workout videos in our Fitness Studio exercise videos

You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days as your aerobic activity – whatever's best for you.

Muscle-strengthening exercises are not always an aerobic activity, so you'll need to do them as well as your 150 minutes of aerobic activity.