Keeping active

Staying active is an important part of maintaining your health. Not only will it make you feel good but it will help you to maintain your independence.

To stay healthy or to improve your health, you should be doing two types of physical activity every week, including an aerobic exercise and a strength exercise.

How much physical activity you need to do and how often, depends on your age and ability.

NHS advice

The NHS recommends that adults (aged 19 to 64) should do:

• at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking every week and   
• strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)  

Or:

• 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity such as running or a game of singles tennis every week and
• strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) 

Or:

• a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week – for example, two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equates to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and
• strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)   

 Find out more about exercise on the NHS Live Well website