How Much Exercise Do You Need to Lose Weight?
Many of us spend our days sitting in an office chair, only to slump onto our sofa exhausted at the end of the day. US researchers last year warned that sitting for 10 hours each day “rapidly” increases your risk of dementia. And scientists in Taiwan said being slouched at a desk all day increased your chances of an early death from any cause by 16 per cent.
But don’t panic. Another recent study found that exercising just twice a week is enough to slash your risk of suffering a deadly heart attack, with “weekend warriors'” deemed just as healthy as those working out daily. This may well have got you thinking; What’s the bare minimum amount of exercise you can get away with weekly, while still seeing results like gaining muscle or losing weight?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), any amount of physical activity is better than none. And anything counts, the health watchdog maintains, whether it’s done as part of work, household tasks or commuting on a bike. It says the minimum amount of exercise we should aim to achieve each week is:
- 150 minutes of moderate exercise – where you can maintain a conversation, but you’re slightly out of breath
- OR… 75 minutes of vigorous exercise – that causes rapid breathing and a significant increase in heart rate
Excerpted from the U.S. Sun
