The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association have recently published their updated recommendations on the amount and type of exercise needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain healthy hearts. Adults aged 18 – 65 need moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five times a week or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three days each week.
These different types of exercise activity can be combined over a week e.g. you can walk briskly or choose another activity that noticeably increases your heart rate for 30 minutes twice a week, then jog or perform another activity that causes rapid breathing and a significant increase in heart rate on two other days.
More exercise than the recommended amount provides additional health benefits. Muscle strengthening and endurance exercises are also recommended within the above schedule. With every adult engaging in activity that maintains or improves muscular strength and endurance at least twice a week.
The ACSM/AHA also states that combining short bouts of activity – 10 minutes or more – can be combined to meet the 30 minute daily goal. This is a much more manageable time frame for many busy people and still proven to be beneficial.
The recommendations for adults over 65 years of age are similar to those in the lower age bracket, with the addition of activities that increase flexibility and improve balance.
Stretching exercises to improve flexibility and specific balance training exercises need to be incorporated into the weekly exercise routine. Once again these can be broken down into a low number of stretches, throughout the day or over a few days. This will assist individuals by reducing the risk of falling and possibly fracturing some bodily part.
Many older adults will have single disease or multiple conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis or cardiovascular conditions, the ACSM/AHA guidelines recommend integrating preventive and therapeutic activities. The emphasis is on reducing sedentary behavior, increasing moderate activity and taking a step wise approach.
An easy check to see if you are in the moderate or aerobic level of activity is to take your heart rate (or wear a heart rate monitor). Subtract your age from 220. This will give your maximum heart rate. Moderate exercise should be 60-75% of this maximum and aerobic activity should be 75-85% of this figure. This is the calculation for the average healthy adult. It will need to be adjusted either up or down if your health is better or less than “average”.