How Much Time Should You Spend Exercising?

Exercising regularly has enormous benefits, both physically and emotionally, for your body. It helps the heart, mind, and lengthens your lifespan. But for those of you with busy schedules, fitting in a 1-2 hour workout may be challenging. So how much time should you put aside for exercising? 

The recommended amount of time

It’s recommended for you to do 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise to remain healthy. So by doing a little more than 20 minutes of exercise a day, you could already be improving the quality of your health significantly. 

A recent study conducted in Taiwan found that people who exercised for even 15 minutes only, experienced:

• A 10% risk decrease in getting cancer
• An average increase of 3 years in lifespan
• 14% decrease in mortality 

Although a low amount of exercise is good, introducing more activity into your lifestyle is even better. An additional 15 minutes of exercise can decrease your risk of cancer by 1% and a further 4% reduction in overall mortality. By combining more exercise into your daily routine, you can give yourself a healthier lifestyle and experience long term health benefits. 

The study also compared the results to those who did not exercise at all and found that they stood at a higher risk of 17% for overall mortality. So if you’re wondering about how many times a week you should workout, you should actually be thinking about how long you’re working out instead. Even if you can’t fit an hour of daily exercise, doing as little as 15 minutes of moderate level exercise daily can increase your lifespan and reduce the chances of picking up diseases. Moderate level exercise includes activities like brisk walking, swimming leisurely and cycling.

Where should I exercise? 

Hong Kong’s air pollution is an important factor to consider when choosing where to exercise. As of July 2019, the Air Pollution Index is currently ranked as 41st globally which creates huge concerns for the potential health side effects for Hong Kong residents. Urban air pollution has been known to cause a number of health related issues such as:

• Nose and throat irritation
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness
• Increased risk of cancer

The elderly, children, and people suffering from asthma or chronic respiratory diseases have the highest risk to the symptoms mentioned. We generally recommend minimising your exposure to outdoor air pollutants when exercising, and opt for indoor exercising instead. 

Our advice

By making exercise a regular part of your lifestyle, it will give you both short and long term health benefits. So if you put in that extra effort in exercising, you will see significant improvements to your health.

Your exercise plan should be custom to your strength and body type. If you are unsure about the nature or level of exercise you should be doing, OT&P can recommend a range of fitness specialists to plan and supervise your exercise program. We also recommend that you combine good exercise with a healthy and balanced diet. 

If you aren’t sure about your dietary requirements, you should consult with a nutritionist for your specific needs. At OT&P, our nutritionists can provide you with a detailed nutrition plan tailored to your body’s requirements.