Exercising more is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. And not without good reason – because sport lifts our mood and improves our physical health. To reap the health benefits and build sustainable routines, the right amount of physical activity in particular is important. But how much exercise is actually healthy?
THE WHO RECOMMENDATION
The WHO recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Moderate activities include, for example, brisk walking, cycling, housework or ballroom dancing. Those who want to work up a sweat can instead engage in at least 75 minutes of high-intensity activity per week, such as jumping rope, running or doing cardio. These recommendations are particularly aimed at maintaining good health. If you also want to benefit physically from exercise, you should additionally work your muscles in the form of strength training on two or more days.
YOUR PULSE
To ensure that your cardiovascular system is benefiting optimally from physical activity,you can monitor and measure your pulse. The easiest way to measure your pulse is with a fitness watch. Alternatively, you can determine your pulse (= pulse beats per minute) with the following technique:
- Use your index and middle fingers to feel your pulse on the inside of your wrist or neck.
- Once you feel your pulse, count the number of beats for 30 seconds.
- Multiply your count by two. Now you have your pulse rate per minute.
For moderate to high intensity activities, your pulse should be between 100 and 150 beats per minute. For high-intensity activities, a pulse of 150 to 180 beats per minute is optimal.
WARNING SIGNS DURING EXERCISE
Rapidly occurring signs that you are physically overloading yourself include:
- Persistent shortness of breath
- Nausea, dizziness or stabbing headache
- Pain or pressure in left shoulder, chest, neck or arm
- Fainting
If these symptoms occur during exercise, you should take a break and get some rest.
BREAKS FOR REGENERATION
In order for your body to recover sufficiently and adapt to the stresses, sufficient breaks are necessary. Listen to your body and take breaks between intensive sports units or perform only moderate activities in case of muscle soreness and fatigue or during the recovery period. As a general rule, 24 to 48 hours of recovery time between strenuous sessions is recommended.