woman working out

How much physical activity should you do to achieve a healthy lifestyle? If you want to achieve cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association says you should be doing 150 minutes of cardiovascular physical activity a week. However, to lose weight and keep it off numerous studies show, including a study done by the NIH in 2014 on weight loss in adults called the step-up trial, 220 minutes per week or 200-300 minutes per week of cardiovascular physical activity is needed to lose weight and keep it off. Cardiovascular physical activity does not have to be defined as running a marathon or buying the latest Peloton creation, it can be simply walking around the block several times or getting a garage sale exercise bike for your home or apartment and using it daily. Cardiovascular physical activity is not the only type of physical activity. Toning and resistance training, especially for older adults, is critical to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. This can be done at a minimum twice a week with as little as resistance bands. There are several videos that show you how to use resistance bands on YouTube or there are free apps, such as Aaptiv, that provide personal training.

Created by Kelly Wood MD MSPH Total Body Renewal Medical Weight Management and Laser Treatment Center