Breakdown Workout Routine to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

To maintain a healthy body and lifestyle, it is recommended that adults get 2.5 hours – 150 minutes – of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of minutes can be cut down to 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) if the intensity is increased to vigorous aerobic activity, according to the CDC.

With busy schedules already filled with work and family commitments, 150 minutes can seem like a lot of time to carve out of each week. But, the CDC recommends trying to look at that time differently and break it down.

Committing 2 hours and 30 minutes to exercise is just about as much time as you might commit to watching a movie. And, you don’t have to do all the exercise at once, or even in a couple days.

You can break up the exercise time over the course of the entire week, even doing a couple chunks of time throughout each day, according to the CDC. 

Doing spurts of moderate exercise a few times a day, each day, is still an effective way to meet the 150 minute goal – as long as each workout is at least 10 minutes, according to the CDC.

The American Heart Association (AHA) states that walking is one of the best and easiest ways to fit the 150 minutes of exercise into your week.

Taking a 30 minute walk as a family most nights after dinner, walking your dog, or taking a couple extra laps around the mall are just a few ways to make the minutes add up, according to the AHA.

Some other suggestions from the AHA to build moderate-intensity aerobic activity into your day include:

• form a team – gather friends to commit to improving their health, too, by getting together to walk and talk or playing a team sport together
• get the rhythm – play music while you’re doing housework and dance around while you dust, sweep, and wash dishes
• meet on the go – walk with a coworker during a brainstorming session rather than sitting down to talk
• take the long way – from parking farther to taking the stairs, try taking the long way to where you’re going
• tune in to fitness – rather than sitting through your favorite show at night, commit that 30 minute block to jogging in place, walking on your treadmill, or doing jumping jacks while you watch
• use your break – take a walk around the building during a break at work or walk for a few minutes during your lunch hour

Though 150 minutes is the recommended amount of exercise for adults, moving more is even better. 

Getting 300 minutes or more of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week will increase your health benefits even more, according to the CDC.

Whether you opt for the 150 minutes of moderate activity or the 75 minutes of vigorous activity, the CDC recommends that all adults also find time at least two days each week to do muscle-strengthening activities. 

During these muscle-focused activities, make sure to work all major muscle groups, including your arms, abdomen, back, chest, hips, legs and shoulders.

For more information about recommended weekly exercise, talk with your doctor or visit https://www.premierphysiciannet.com/ to find a physician.