How much cardio do I really need per week?
For a healthy adult, 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week is the well-supported minimum, supplemented by two strength-training sessions; if you want to maintain your weight, you are better off aiming for 225-420 minutes per week.
For most healthy adults, 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio per week is the minimum. That works out to, for example, five half-hour brisk walks or three 25-minute runs per week. This minimum is well supported by evidence: it lowers the risk of premature death, cardiovascular disease, cancer and cognitive decline.
In addition to cardio, two muscle-strengthening sessions per week are recommended, targeting all major muscle groups. That combination offers the best long-term protection, including against muscle loss and bone density decline in older age.
Want to maintain your weight after losing it? Then 150 minutes is probably not enough. Research in people with overweight shows that 225 to 420 minutes of moderate activity per week is associated with better weight maintenance. That is roughly 30 to 60 minutes per day. The exact causal relationship is not yet fully established, but the association is clear.
For older adults, balance and flexibility exercises are an additional requirement. These demonstrably reduce the risk of falls, pain and cognitive decline. Most older adults, incidentally, do not meet the recommended amount of physical activity.
Are you pregnant and otherwise healthy? Then at least three sessions of moderate cardio per week is safe and beneficial: a lower chance of gestational diabetes, back complaints and depression, with no demonstrable risk of premature birth or low birth weight. If you do have a condition such as high blood pressure, discuss it with your doctor first, because there is insufficient data for that group to say anything with certainty.
Based on international physical activity guidelines and multiple systematic reviews (PMID 33213121, 32984942, 33010902, 23014142). The recommendations for weight maintenance are based on associative research; the other associations have been assessed as probably causal.
How much exercise do I need to live longer?
The biggest health gain comes from just a little exercise. Going from nothing to 150 minutes per week gives a 31% lower risk of premature death; after that the benefit increases somewhat more, but levels off.
How often and how hard should I strength train?
Start with 2 to 3 training days per week, sets of 8 to 12 repetitions close to your maximum, and increase the weight as soon as you can add extra repetitions. This approach demonstrably builds both strength and muscle mass at every level.
How many steps should I take per day?
More steps is better for your health, but even 2,500 steps per day already yields measurable benefit. Aim preferably for 7,000 to 10,000 steps, depending on your age, and walk briskly for part of the day.
How much protein do I need to maintain my muscle mass?
For most healthy adults who want to maintain their muscle mass, 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is a well-supported target, especially when combined with strength training.
How much zone 2 training do you need per week?
There is no researched minimum for zone 2 in recreational athletes, but patterns in elite athletes show that low intensity fills the majority of training volume and that removing it comes at a cost to fitness. If your training time is limited, focus on building a broad base of low-intensity work and only add high intensity once that base is in place.
Is walking enough, or do I really need to do strength training too?
Walking alone is not sufficient to stop muscle loss or to meaningfully reduce the risk of falling. Add strength training twice a week to your routine for clearly measurable additional benefits.