American Heart Association (AHA) Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids

Are you fitting in at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity per week? If not, you’re not alone. Only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise to maintain good health. Being more active can help people think, sleep better, and perform daily tasks more easily. And if you’re sedentary, sitting less is a great place to start.

These recommendations are based on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. They recommend how much physical activity we need to be healthy. The guidelines are based on current scientific evidence supporting the connections between physical activity, overall health and well-being, disease prevention, and quality of life. 

Recommendations for Adults

• Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
• Add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) at least 2 days per week.
• Spend less time sitting. Even light-intensity activity can offset some of the risks of being sedentary.
• Gain even more benefits by being active at least 300 minutes (5 hours) per week.
• Increase the amount and intensity gradually over time.

Recommendations for Kids

• Children 3-5 years old should be physically active and have plenty of opportunities to move throughout the day.
• Kids 6-17 years old should get at least 60 minutes per day of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity, mostly aerobic.
• Include vigorous-intensity activity on at least 3 days per week.
• Include muscle- and bone-strengthening (weight-bearing) activities on at least 3 days per week.
• Increase the amount and intensity gradually over time.

A Little Means A Lot

Moving (even just a little) improves your heart health. Donating (even just a little) improves the lives of countless others.

What is intensity?

Physical activity is anything that moves your body and burns calories. This includes things like walking, climbing stairs, and stretching.

Aerobic (or “cardio”) activity gets your heart rate up and benefits your heart by improving cardiorespiratory fitness. When done at moderate intensity, your heart will beat faster and you’ll breathe harder than normal, but you’ll still be able to talk. Think of it as a medium or moderate amount of effort.

Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities:

• brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)
• water aerobics
• dancing (ballroom or social)
• gardening
• tennis (doubles)
• biking slower than 10 miles per hour

Vigorous intensity activities will push your body a little further. They will require a higher amount of effort. You’ll probably get warm and begin to sweat. You won’t be able to talk much without getting out of breath.

Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities:

• hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
• running
• swimming laps
• aerobic dancing
• heavy yardwork like continuous digging or hoeing
• tennis (singles)
• cycling 10 miles per hour or faster
• jumping rope

Knowing your target heart rate can also help you track the intensity of your activities. For maximum benefits, include both moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity in your routine along with strengthening and stretching exercises.

What if I’m just starting to get active?

Don’t worry if you can’t reach 150 minutes per week just yet. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you’ve been sedentary for years, today is the day you can begin to make healthy changes in your life. Set a reachable goal for today. You can work up toward the recommended amount by increasing your time as you get stronger. Don’t let all-or-nothing thinking keep you from doing what you can every day.

The simplest way to get moving and improve your health is to start walking. It’s free, easy, and can be done just about anywhere, even in place.

Any amount of movement is better than none. And you can break it up into short bouts of activity throughout the day. Taking a brisk walk for five or ten minutes a few times a day will add up.

If you have a chronic condition or disability, talk with your healthcare provider about what types and amounts of physical activity are right for you before making too many changes. But don’t wait! Get started today by simply sitting less and moving more, whatever that looks like for you.

The takeaway: Move more, with more intensity, and sit less.

Science has linked being inactive and sitting too much with a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and lung cancers, and early death. It’s clear that being more active benefits everyone and helps us live longer, healthier lives.

Here are some of the big wins:

• Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s, several types of cancer, and some complications of pregnancy
• Better sleep, including improvements in insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea
• Improved cognition, including memory, attention, and processing speed
• Less weight gain, obesity, and related chronic health conditions
• Better bone health and balance, with less risk of injury from falls
• Fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Better quality of life and sense of overall well-being

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get moving!

More efficient movement for a lifetime of health

Movement is the key to a healthy life. As a health and fitness professional, you help your clients improve their well-being every day. The use of a BodyFly Cable System will help you expand these efforts and get your clients moving more efficiently and more effectively.

Movement drives health, but not all movement is created equal. Inefficient movement can put negative stress on the body. For some, that stress can lead to pain and a diminished desire to exercise. Having access to our BodyFly Certified Trainers will provide clients with a deeper understanding of how to train the body to move correctly. Whether it’s improving core function to give clients an edge in athletic competition or boosting balance to help older adults play with their grandchildren without pain, functional training can help all adults improve movement efficiency.

Everyone can move better, and you can help

As a BodyFly Certified Trainer, you’ll be able to help clients from all backgrounds move more efficiently, prevent injury, improve their balance and flexibility, build strength, and improve their overall quality of life. You will be able to work with a wide variety of clients ranging from competitive athletes to post-rehabilitation clients, to those who need to improve their balance and joint stability.

Physiology — how systems function and act — and kinesiology — how mechanics and anatomy relate to movement — will be presented, providing you with fuller insight into motion and movement.

Proper posture and balance are important to physical health. 

Cardiorespiratory fitness can be measured by assessing the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body to the working muscles during exercise, as well as by the efficiency with which the muscles use oxygen to produce energy. 

Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability to maintain high-endurance aerobic exercises, such as cycling, swimming, and running, for a prolonged period, without the early onset of performance-inhibiting fatigue.

Strength training, also called weight training and resistance training, is an important tool for achieving a completely healthy body. Strength training isn’t just for athletes; anyone who wants to build or tone muscle can use strength training to achieve a fitter body.

If you’ve spent any time in a gym, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the cable machine. This functional piece of exercise equipment, also referred to as a pulley machine, is a staple in many gyms and athletic training centers. 

The cable machine is a large piece of gym equipment that has adjustable cable pulleys. The resistance of the cables allows you to perform numerous exercises in a variety of directions. Some machines have one or two cable stations, while others have multiple. 

In this article we’ll look at the benefits of cable exercises, how to do them safely, and cable exercises that you can try the next time you’re at the gym. 

What are the benefits of cable exercises? 

Being able to perform exercises in different ranges of motion is one of the primary benefits of including cable machine exercises in your workout. 

Also, the American Council on Exercise says that stepping away from barbells and dumbbells and using cables for a few weeks can help increase your strength and break a fitness plateau. 

But, what exactly makes cable exercises such a great workout? 

Well, for starters, it’s unlike a typical weightlifting machine that has a fixed path of movement. 

Grayson Wickham, PT, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault, points out that a cable machine allows you the freedom to move the way you want to move and choose the path and motion of the exercise or movement.

Additionally, “cable machines provide a smooth, non-jerky concentric and eccentric contraction while exercising,” he explains. 

A cable machine also enables you to perform more exercise variations for multiple muscle groups and allows you to go light or heavy with resistance. 

Plus, because this equipment is generally safe, beginners are less likely to get injured using a cable machine compared with free weights or traditional weight machines, Wickham explained. 

Mecayla Froerer, BS, NASM, and iFit personal trainer, explains that because cable machines are easy to use, you can get set up quickly, allowing you to move quickly through your workout. 

That said, it does take some time to get used to using the cable system and the variety of handles you can use for different types of exercises. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll likely enjoy the efficiency and intensity of this total-body trainer.