How Much Should You Be Working Out?
Are you looking for unique ideas to increase your physical activity? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults should participate in moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on 5 days per week or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on three days per week.
The Problem
The duration and frequency of recommended activity can seem daunting, especially when limited by pain or other impairments. Other challenges like work, kids, and other life responsibilities make their claim on our time as well.
The balancing act to meet all our roles in life can leave our health in the lurch, so what is the solution?
The Solution
Something is better than nothing! While I strongly advocate for meeting the prescribed amounts of therapeutic strengthening and stretching, even performing a few reps of an activity is progress. Especially when time escapes our grasp or when pain seems at its most intense.
For example, you train for a marathon over the course of weeks, months, and even years. Even a day going on a short, light jog is progress towards the ultimate goal!
Unique Ways to Increase with Your Physical Activity:
- Look for ways to reduce time sitting and increase time spent moving. For example, go for a walk before or after having a meal.
- Use an activity diary to better plan your day or week to establish a routine.
- Start with what you most enjoy. Some may enjoy going for walks at night, others may enjoy online exercise videos in the morning.
- Recruit a family member or friend to participate with you.
- There are numerous free apps and websites to find fun ways to be active.
-
Free Apps for Physical Activity:
-
-
-
- All trails. Search by city, park, or trail name
- Park Passport. Search for local, state, and national parks and recreation areas.
- Playground buddy. Find more than 200,000 playgrounds in multiple countries.
- Trail Link. Find trails for walking, hiking, running, skating, and biking by city, state, zip code, or trail name.
-
-
-
Websites for Physical Activity
-
-
-
- American Heart Association. See how to start or join a walking club.
- Girl Trek. Find Facebook pages for Black women’s walking groups in 33 states.
- Park Finder. Find national parks, recreation areas, and historic sites.
- Recreation.gov. Search for recreation activities at outdoor and cultural destinations.
- Walk With a Doc. Find free events to learn about a health topic from a healthcare professional, then go for a walk afterwards.
- YMCA. Find a facility or camp by city, state, or zip code.
-
-
-
Other Creative Ways to Be Active
-
-
-
- DeskFit. Exercise program developed for those at NASA to be active even at a desk.
- Move Your Way. YouTube playlist of physical activity ideas in English and Spanish.
- Take a Walk in the Mall. With hot summers in Phoenix, it may be nice to get indoors!
- Walk With Ease. A self-guided online walking program for those with arthritis.
- Physical Activity for Those with Disabilities. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) has a YouTube playlist of the top home exercise videos.
-
-
-
-
- NCHPAD also has a 14 weeks to a Healthier You program. This is a FREE, personalized, online physical activity and nutrition program for individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions.
-
-
-
-
- Special Olympics has a Fit 5 resource that provides fitness cards and videos for flexibility, endurance, strength, and balance. Fit 5 is based on three simple goals of exercising 5 days a week, eating 5 total fruits and vegetables a day, and drinking 5 bottles of water daily.
-
It is easy to think of a million barriers to being active each day. The CDC has multiple suggestions to address common obstacles. With the numerous resources at our fingertips, I believe—historically—that we have the most amount of assistance in taking charge of our health.
For those beginning a new exercise program or currently involved in fitness, our complimentary movement assessment will help identify any pain or limitations that may affect your success. Through the assessment, a licensed physical therapist will determine any specific muscle weaknesses and address them with a strengthening program. Our therapists will evaluate the stabilizing muscles that support exercise and activities. Additionally, you will learn stretches and exercises designed to improve your body’s function during your activity. Click here to request your assessment.
