How much physical activity should we do?

Adults aged between 19-64 years

It is recommended that adults should exercise regularly and aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week so this could be 30 minutes on at least five days a week. This can seem a lot at first but can be broken down into 10 minute sessions throughout the day and gradually built up.  It could also be done in the comfort of your home. Even walking for ten minutes a day to get started is better than doing nothing at all!                               

In addition, adults need to also do at least two sessions of muscle strengthening activities per week that works the major muscles in the body such as the legs, shoulders, arms etc.

As adults, it’s important to keep on moving and reduce the amount of time we spend sitting down.  Staying sat down, metabolism will slow down which can lead to putting on weight and increase the likeliness of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some types of cancer or even an early death.

Children and young people aged 5 to 18

It is recommended that children and young people should aim to be physically active for at least 60 minutes each day.

The advantages to them being physically active:

Physical activities in young people can be spread throughout the day and can include walking, running, cycling, climbing, skipping, swimming, PE, playing sports etc.