Some people enjoy working out but then there are the rest of us who are wondering if we really need to be exercising every day? Find out how to stay healthy.
Do you want to start working out but don’t know how much time you need to commit to it? Are you concerned about how often you need to be exercising?
With less than 5% of adults participating in the recommended amount of physical activity, it may be hard to know if you’re part of that statistic. Do you need to be exercising everyday?
Well, it depends. There are many contributing factors to how often you need to be exercising. Especially in regards to your goal. What you want to achieve from working out.
It may be overwhelming but don’t worry! We here to help you find the recommended amount of exercise per week as well as exercise recommendations fit for you.
Considering Age
How much a person should be exercising everyday can be very subjective. It changes from person to person and one major factor to take into mind is your age.
Children aged from 3 years old to 5 years old need to remain active throughout the day. This is to help with their development. Their exercises can range from different school sports and activities to having fun on a playground.
For older children and teenagers, they should have at least an hour a day for moderate physical activity like jogging, running, biking, and playing sports. In addition to this, there should be three days a week where they complete the intense aerobic exercises. They should also undergo bone and muscle strengthening exercises.
Now adults (who are most likely reading this) should be getting at least two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise and an hour and a half of strengthening type exercises. This can include using different weights, doing push-ups, pull-ups, or sit-ups. Try and spread your exercises throughout the week.
Exercising for Physical Health
For those who are trying to improve your cardiovascular and respiratory health, exercising can be a big step. It’s important to know how much you need it. People with heart problems can see aerobic exercises as their best friends.
Not only does it help slow your heart rate over time, but it can also help lower your blood pressure. Which can be especially helpful to avoid the dangers of AFib.
Exercising can also be a big help for those with respiratory problems. The intensity of exercise can help improve your lungs and strengthen their muscles. If you want to improve on either, it’s recommended that you do at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day.
Keep it up five days a week to raise your cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Exercising for Mental Health
When the reason you want to exercise is to improve your mental health, you don’t need to put in as much time as you think. Even a little bit of exercise can help de-stress, give you more self-esteem, clear your head, deal with anxiety, and many more. This means that however much time you can take out of your day to exercise will help.
You can start off with five to ten minutes of exercise a day and go from there. How much you need to exercise when improving your mental health can be entirely up to you. If only a few minutes of physical activity is what you need to help yourself out, then stick with it. You can always adapt and change your routine depending on how you improve from each session.
Exercising to Lose Weight
One of the most popular and most common reasons for exercising is to lose weight. If this is your goal when exercising, it’s a good idea to integrate workouts into your daily routines. For moderate weight loss, around two and a half hours to four hours weekly will suffice, along with a proper diet.
Keep in mind, if you want to lose a more significant amount of weight. You’ll need more than four hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise.
Of course, the amount of time you take up exercising will lessen, the more intense your workout becomes. You can reach the same amount of weight loss with a higher intensity for half the time required with a moderate-intensity workout. Once you do reach your weight goal, however, it’s important that you continue with your daily exercise to maintain your weight.
Distributing the amount of exercise per day will be up to you. That said, it’s better to keep your work out time equally spread out throughout the week. If you’re following the two and a half hours to four hours per week, then make time for about an hour a day.
If you’re following the four hours and above schedule, then divide the total time equally, from two hours a day and up.
Exercising to Gain Weight
If you’re either underweight or want to bulk up, exercise can also help you with gaining weight.
To do this, it’s best to keep the aerobic and cardio exercises to a minimum and concentrate on your muscle and bone-strengthening exercises. Aerobic and cardio exercises are what burn the stored calories in your body. When you burn these up, there are fewer calories your body will be able to use to build muscle.
Workouts that include heavyweights and resistance training are key to help you gain the weight you want. Stick to exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups, and exercises like them to effectively build muscle mass. Doing these intense exercises an hour a day for three to four times a week will do the trick.
It’s important when trying to gain weight, to keep up with your routine weekly, but don’t overdo it. Although it seems like the right choice, exercising daily when trying to gain weight isn’t necessary. You might burn too much of the muscle you’re trying to build so keep it to only half of the week.
Should You Be Exercising Everyday?
This can be a very loose question as there is no right answer. It can all depend on your goal, what you want to come out from your workouts.
In some cases, you might need to be exercising everyday, in others not so much.
We hope that reading this worked as a guide to help you find your answer. Remember that regardless of the number of days in the week you exercise.
Consistency is the key!
We hope you learned enough from this article. If you want more, don’t hesitate on checking out the rest of our content today!