How Much Physical Activity You Need

• The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine’s recommendation of 60 minutes of daily exercise to prevent weight gain.
• The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a five to ten minutes warm up and then 30 to 45 minutes of continuous aerobic activity, such as swimming, biking, walking, dancing, or jogging, three to five times a week, with a stretch and cool down period in the last five to 10 minutes.
• The ACSM also recommends weight training: at least one set (eight to 12 repetitions) each of eight to 10 different exercises, targeting the body's major muscle groups.
• The surgeon general recommends accumulating 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity (hard enough to leave you feeling warm and slightly out of breath) on most, if not all, days of the week. You can do it in two bouts of 15 minutes, three bouts of 10 minutes, or one bout of 30 minutes. This recommendation emphasizes incorporating activity into your daily life, such as walking instead of taking the bus, parking your car farther from the mall and walking across the parking lot, taking stairs instead of the elevator, and washing your car by hand.