How much exercise is considered enough?

We often exercise for different reasons; some do it for recreation, competition, to keep fit or even as a job.  Others exercise because it is a recommendation from their doctor.  

The reason withstanding, one has to limit how much exercise their body can take. One of way of doing this is by timing oneself.  

According to Brian Kasasa, a sports scientist, one should aim at spending at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. 

“However, if one wants to lose weight, keep at a certain weight bracket or achieve certain fitness goals, they may have to put in more time. Even then, it is important to have a limit lest you work out too hard and end up over eating which reverses the efforts or lose weight beyond required measure,” he says. 

For aerobics - activities that make use of large muscle groups in a repetitive yet rhythmic manner without causing the muscles to work against heavy resistance - Kasasa says these can be done without much effort, even in small bits as long as it adds up to the recommended total activity. 

“These workouts are also called cardio-metabolic exercise (CME) because they encompass a wide range of activities such as climbing stairs and are aimed at improving one’s metabolism, heart health and general health. The most important thing is to do enough and be consistent even when doing only 15 minutes of intense exercises,” he says, adding that it is also crucial that one mixes daily activities with formal workouts to ultimately get cardio-metabolic exercises. 

In moderation, adults should undertake daily stretching and bi-weekly strength training. 

Building muscle groups 

Enoch Kutesa, a fitness trainer, says strength training workouts are aimed at building various muscle groups. This can be done by indulging in a set of exercise using resistance or weights for between 12 to 15 minutes to tire the muscles. 

“One can use weights, their own weight or  carry out activities such as rock and wall climbing. It helps to target a different body part every day as that helps for those with limited time because the workout is shorter while also achieving results. For example, if you work the upper body, the next day will be for the lower body. This also kills boredom that tends to creep in with time,” he advises. 

Health benefits aside, Kasasa says if you are looking at losing weight, you are aiming higher and the dynamics will have to change to maybe 300 minutes per week. 

“If you are looking at losing at least a kilogramme per week, you need to lose close to 3,500 calories. Start by choosing your best exercise activity and see how much time you will put in,” he says, adding, in the case of a person with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), one can walk for two hours, run for 40 minutes or bike for one hour. 

Vigorous swimming should be done within 40 minutes while intense aerobics should take up 60 minutes. 

“Once your goal has been achieved, it is advisable that you cut back the time by half to 150 minutes for moderate workouts or 75 minutes for intense activities weekly. However, there is no stamp to the time as the ability to maintain weight varies from person to person,”  Kasasa says. 

Go slow

While great amounts of exercise give great health benefits, even small chunks of activity are helpful. 

Therefore, Kutesa says, if slotting 30 minutes of exercise into your schedule is tricky, try doing five-minute-walks on a daily basis. 

“However, at times, people have trouble keeping up with their exercises. In such instances, setting a specific time to do them is advisable. Nonetheless, with the stress that surrounds us, you do not want to turn working out into another stress factor. Therefore, pick a time that suits you, could be early morning before you start your day, during a lunch break or after work to do the work outs,” he says.

“In instances where one is held down by work, they might opt to exercise fewer days but each workout will be longer. For example, rather than 30 minutes on a daily basis, they can have one 60 minute work out on the weekend and two 45 minutes activities during the weekend. The other option is to do double workouts on some days, such as a brisk walk in the morning and strength training after work,” he shares.

For beginners, Kasasa says it is imperative to start by taking baby step but consistently as you build your fitness. 

“With better fitness, one can also increase the intensity,” he says. 

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