Staying sedentary for too long in the same day increases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, recalled the authors of a study published in the Journal of American college of cardiology in November 2024. The heart and respiratory system are muscles like any other that just need to be trained to be healthy.
But what is the minimum amount of exercise you should do each week for health benefits? Interviewed by media journalists Eating WellAmerican sports coaches Anthony O’Reilly and Stephen Sheehan answer this question.
150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week
As recommended Public health FranceAnthony O’Reilly advises doing moderate aerobic physical activity for about 150 minutes per week. “ This works out to 20 minutes a day or 30 minutes a day, five times a week », Expands Anthony O’Reilly. Moderate cardio activity should increase your heart rate without stopping you from talking. However, singing must be difficult or impossible. Simple activities like walking, cycling, dancing or swimming can fulfill this role. A study published in November 2024 in the journal British journal of sport medicine already encouraged readers to walk more every day to increase their life expectancy.
If you’re short on time or prefer to get a good sweat in, you might be interested in the advice of another sports coach, Stephen Sheehan. According to him, you only need 75 minutes of physical activity per week if it is intense. This includes running or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Two resistance workouts
However, exercises that increase your cardio alone aren’t enough, according to Stephen Sheehan. “ Start by adding two resistance workouts per week to your routine “, he advises, “ this combination builds overall strength, cardiovascular health and muscle mass “. Maintaining regular mobilization of your muscles is all the more essential as their volume naturally decreases with age. To do this, simply do one to three sets of six to twelve repetitions for each exercise. For example, you can do squats, lunges, push-ups and sit-ups for a session of less than ten minutes that trains the whole body.
Move enough, whatever the moment
Whatever format you adopt, the most important thing is to move enough. This is the result of a study Anglo-Saxon published in the magazine Circulation in September 2024. Researchers showed that putting all your workouts together on the weekend was just as effective as one shorter workout per day. This has the same positive effects on health.
If all these recommendations can be scary (nearly three hours of sport per week in total depending on the training chosen!), you must not forget that your activity time can be easily integrated into your routine. Even if you feel like you’re completely sedentary, you’re probably already doing more activity than you think. For city dwellers, for example, walking to the bus stop already counts as moderate aerobic activity. If you live in a house with one floor, going up the stairs is also part of it. Another tip to encourage your practice: divide it into several sessions. 10 minutes upon waking up for early risers or before bed for night owls, 10 minutes at midday after lunch, and twice 5 minutes before and after your journey to work. Everyone has their own recipe!
Source: www.topsante.com