In this section:

> Introduction to move more
> What is physical activity?
> Fitting physical activity into your lifestyle
> More information and resources

What is physical activity?

Many people think that exercise has to be vigorous to be worthwhile but this isn’t true. You don’t have to be pounding the treadmill in the gym to feelthe benefits of being active!

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As a general rule of thumb, to stay healthy or to improve health, adults should try to be active daily and do:

• At least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity physical activity every week, and

• Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups

Or

• 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity such as running or a game of singles tennis every week, and

• Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle group

One way to do your recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on 5 days of the week.

Alternatively you could break it up even further to do 3 x 10 minute chunks each day. These 10 minute chunks are far more manageable and realistic to achieve in your busy day, and you will still feel the benefits.

What’s moderate-intensity physical activity? 

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat.

One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity is if you can still talk, but you can't sing the words to a song.

Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Pushing a lawn mower

What’s vigorous-intensity physical activity? 

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit.

If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous effort:

• Jogging or running
• Swimming fast
• Aerobics