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According to the latest studies, we all need 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. If you are very motivated, you could also do 75 minutes of intense and vigorous activity. That's only 11 minutes to 22 minutes a day!
We can do that!! Start slow and work your way up to it.

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Are you fitting in at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity per week? If not, you're not alone. Only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise to maintain good health. Being more active can help all people think, feel and sleep better and perform daily tasks more easily. And if you're sedentary, sitting less is a great place to start.

These recommendations are based on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. They recommend how much physical activity we need to be healthy. The guidelines are based on current scientific evidence supporting the connections between physical activity, overall health and well-being, disease prevention and quality of life.

Recommendations for Adults

Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.

Add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) on at least 2 days per week.

Spend less time sitting. Even light-intensity activity can offset some of the risks of being sedentary.

Gain even more benefits by being active at least 300 minutes (5 hours) per week.

Increase amount and intensity gradually over time.

Recommendations for Kids

Children 3-5 years old should be physically active and have plenty of opportunities to move throughout the day.

Kids 6-17 years old should get at least 60 minutes per day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, mostly aerobic.

Include vigorous-intensity activity on at least 3 days per week.

Include muscle- and bone-strengthening (weight-bearing) activities on at least 3 days per week.

Increase amount and intensity gradually over time.

What is intensity?

Physical activity is anything that moves your body and burns calories. This includes things like walking, climbing stairs and stretching.

Aerobic (or "cardio") activity gets your heart rate up and benefits your heart by improving cardiorespiratory fitness. When done at moderate intensity, your heart will beat faster and you'll breathe harder than normal, but you'll still be able to talk. Think of it as a medium or moderate amount of effort.

Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities:

brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)

water aerobics

dancing (ballroom or social)

gardening

tennis (doubles)

biking slower than 10 miles per hour

Vigorous intensity activities will push your body a little further. They will require a higher amount of effort. You'll probably get warm and begin to sweat. You won't be able to talk much without getting out of breath.

Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities:

hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack

running

swimming laps

aerobic dancing

heavy yardwork like continuous digging or hoeing

tennis (singles)

cycling 10 miles per hour or faster

jumping rope

Knowing your target heart rate can also help you track the intensity of your activities.

For maximum benefits, include both moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity in your routine along with strengthening and stretching exercises.

What if I'm just starting to get active?

Don't worry if you can't reach 150 minutes per week just yet. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you've been sedentary for years, today is the day you can begin to make healthy changes in your life. Set a reachable goal for today. You can work up toward the recommended amount by increasing your time as you get stronger. Don't let all-or-nothing thinking keep you from doing what you can every day.

The simplest way to get moving and improve your health is to start walking. It's free, easy and can be done just about anywhere, even in place.

Any amount of movement is better than none. And you can break it up into short bouts of activity throughout the day. Taking a brisk walk for five or ten minutes a few times a day will add up.

If you have a chronic condition or disability, talk with your healthcare provider about what types and amounts of physical activity are right for you before making too many changes. But don't wait! Get started today by simply sitting less and moving more, whatever that looks like for you.

The takeaway: Move more, with more intensity, and sit less.

Science has linked being inactive and sitting too much with higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and lung cancers, and early death.

It's clear that being more active benefits everyone and helps us live longer, healthier lives.

Here are some of the big wins:

Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer's, several types of cancer, and some complications of pregnancy

Better sleep, including improvements in insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea

Improved cognition, including memory, attention and processing speed

Less weight gain, obesity and related chronic health conditions

Better bone health and balance, with less risk of injury from falls

Fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety

Better quality of life and sense of overall well-being

So what are you waiting for? Let's get moving!

Share an infographic of the Physical Activity Recommendations for Adults and the Physical Activity Recommendations for Kids

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American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids

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Our physical activity recommendations clear up any confusion about how much exercise you need to stay healthy and what counts as moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity. What does the science say? Adults and kids benefit from being more active and sitting less.

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In public health circles, the social determinants of health are well known. They are conditions where we live, work, learn, and play that affect health and quality of life-things like education, employment, health care, and access to safe housing, transportation, and nutritious foods.

Inspired by this, David Fakunle coined a new term: the existential determinants of health. As he explained, "We are all humans, and we all want the same things."

Acknowledgement. Appreciation. Respect. Understanding. Love. "Everything we do is out of the desire to achieve those things," he said.

Fakunle is the executive director of WombWork Productions, a Baltimore-based social change performing arts company. He also earned a PhD in mental health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is an associate faculty member there. Combining his passion for performing arts and storytelling and his public health expertise, Fakunle helped launch the Existential Determinants of Health Initiative with a grant from JHU's Innovation Fund for Community Safety.

The Innovation Fund is a four-year, $6 million initiative to support community programs in Baltimore that aim to address the root causes of violence in the city. WombWork, in partnership with Virtues Matter, is one of nine grant recipients.

A light bulb went off

Fakunle has been a performer since childhood and involved with WombWork since he was a teenager. While performing with the company during his doctoral studies, a light bulb went off. "WombWork has been a public health organization the entire time," he said. "I just never realized it."

WombWork creates a space where you can express yourself creatively, tell your story unapologetically, be seen and valued for you who are, and find the support of a community going through similar struggles. This helps participants heal and address their trauma. It just happens to be through performing arts.

"We were looking for unique projects," said Shatabdi Patel, program manager for the Innovation Fund at Hopkins. "We were open to trying something new because what's been done hasn't been effective enough in reducing violence."

For the first year of the initiative, a group of 25 participants who have dealt with substance abuse disorder met weekly to work on their healing and their performances. Topics covered in the program curriculum addressed physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health.

"There are many ways we can try to meet those basic human needs," Fakunle said. "We can do it in healthy ways. Sometimes we do it in unhealthy ways. Substance Use Disorder can be an attempt to fill those needs. We're trying to create healthy, beneficial, collaborative ways to achieve human desires."

For many, use disorders cultivate a path toward violence-either as a perpetrator, or often as a victim. Existential Determinants of Health, or EDOH, helps reduce opportunities for violence, taking people off the streets and out of situations where they can be taken advantage of.

There is evidence of the effectiveness of an arts-based approach, and it also happens to involve WombWork and Johns Hopkins. In 2001, WombWork partnered with the JHU School of Nursing on an arts-based initiative for the prevention of violence against women and girls. This was included in a five-year study by the Centers for Disease Control that confirmed the arts-based model was effective in reducing violent behavior among youth in four urban middle schools.

Finding meaning

Arjun Chanmugam, vice chair of emergency medicine for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and professor of emergency medicine, is the faculty advisor for the EDOH. program. Chanmugam cited notable thinkers from his psychiatry textbook that support the program's ideals: Aristotle's belief that the greatest virtue we can achieve is to follow what we think is right. And Viktor Frankl's thought that finding meaning, and doing things that have meaning for us, can improve physical and mental health.

"I believe that everybody has a superpower, and if you allow people to perform their superpower-whatever it is-it brings happiness and success," Chanmugam said. "For people in disadvantaged neighborhoods or those struggling from adverse events, it's harder to discover your superpower. There are ways we can help everybody get to their full potential, and that's what Existential Determinants of Health is all about."

Chanmugam said he was overwhelmed by the success of the first cohort, which finished year one this summer.

"They exceeded my expectations," he said. "People who were initially withdrawn and reluctant to interact were remarkably engaged. They were willing to reach out and help others who are having similar problems."

This hits two of the program's goals, according to Chanmugam. One was to help participants become leaders in the community. The other was to solve the community's problems from within, rather than someone coming from outside and telling them what they should do.

In the program's second year, some alumni will mentor and help teach the second cohort, which is currently being recruited. "That's a big deal for me. It means they really believe in it," Chanmugam said. "And Johns Hopkins believes in it. It's inspiring to know our leadership is so committed to the community. I want to thank President [Ron] Daniels and our leadership for their support of the Innovation Fund."

Powerful performances

The initiative also included three successfully produced performances in year one. One cohort member was a visual artist more so than a performer, using drawings with powerful words about his addiction. At the final street festival performance, he had his own showcase. One of his pieces was blown up into a banner for his table display, and he sold a few of his works.

Others shared their stories-their struggles and their triumphs-on stage.

"The audience was in shock," Patel said. "The performances were incredibly moving. They talked about addiction, used music and dancing. We didn't expect them to be so raw and open about their struggles. There were a lot of tears, on stage and in the crowd."

Fakunle said you could see the performers' strength and power when they told their stories, and how much better they felt about who they were as human beings.

"They no longer define themselves exclusively by their addiction," he said. "They are mothers, father, sons, daughters, and friends. They are human, and they want the same things we all want."

To be acknowledged, appreciated, respected, understood, and loved.

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Performing arts meet public health in innovative new program

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In public health circles, the social determinants of health are well known. They are conditions where we live, work, learn, and play that affect health and quality of life-things like education, employment, health care, and access to safe housing, transportation, and nutritious foods. Inspired by this, David Fakunle coined a new term: the existential determinants of health.

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YOUR OWN UNIQUE NEEDS: I thought this unique group of exclusive services would interest you. I am excited to announce that I am a Local Leader and Executive Consultant that will be introducing amazing opportunities along with relief for individuals and families within our communities!