Exercise Plans

What kind of exercise should you do? How much and how often? In this page, we've adapted information from the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

• Do something! Some physical activity is better than none, and any level of physical activity has at least some health benefits.

• 150m/week: Doing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week will give you substantial benefits in your health. For example, 30 minutes of walking on 5 days each week; or 25 minutes of running on three days each week.

• 300m/week: Doing 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 150 minutes of vigorous exercise every week will give you even more extensive health benefits. For example, 60 minutes of walking or 30 minutes of running on 5 days each week.

Moderate exercise includes activities like: Walking, water aerobics, bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour, ballroom dancing, general gardening. Keep up the pace - you still should be able to talk (but not to sing) if you're getting moderate intensity exercise.

Vigorous exercise includes activities like: Jogging or running, swimming laps, tennis, aerobic dancing, bicycling more than 10 miles per hour, jumping rope, hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack. If you're doing vigorous exercise, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Muscle Strengthening: It's beneficial to add muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days per week. Typical activities include: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, using elastic resistance bands, carrying heavy loads, digging in the garden, lifting weights and using weight machines. Include all the major muscle groups such as legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders and arms.

Finding Your Healthy Weight

You can use the CDC's BMI Calculator to determine the weight range that's healthy for you. The CDC's Healthy Weight site is a great source of information on how to lose weight and prevent weight gain.

Eating Healthy to Lose or Maintain Weight

The USDA has excellent web-based tools to plan your menu and activity levels. You can get customized eating recommendations and print off customized paper diet logs here. With a little more work, you can enter specific foods - and see how your eating compares to an ideal diet here.

Safety

Talk to your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise program, to ensure it's safe and appropriate for you. You may need to start with an easier workout and gradually build up to the exercise plans described here. Learn how to properly and safely use any piece of exercise equipment before using it.