Health and Human Services Guidelines for Physical Activity
health.gov/paguidelines/
Aerobic Type Activity Guidelines
• Most health benefits occur with at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of
moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous intensity physical
activity.
• To gain more health benefits, adults should increase their aerobic activity to 300 minutes a
week of moderate intensity, or 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical
activity. Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this
amount.
• A combination of vigorous and moderate intensity exercise can be done to reach the desired
amount of activity. A good rule of thumb is that one minute of vigorous activity is equivalent
to two minutes of moderate.
• Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least ten minutes to be counted
towards your exercise goal.
Moderate Intensity
Examples
• Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or
faster, but not race-walking)
• Water aerobics
• Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour
• Tennis (doubles)
• Ballroom dancing
Vigorous Intensity
Examples
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Race walking, jogging, or running
Swimming laps
Tennis (singles)
Aerobic dancing
Bicycling 10 miles per hour or faster
• Jumping rope
• Hiking uphill or with a heavy
backpack
Resistance Training Guidelines
• Adults should also do resistance-training exercises that are moderate or high intensity and
involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.
• One set of 8 to 12 repetitions for all the major muscle groups is recommended, but two or
three sets will have added benefit.
Examples of resistance training
• Weight Training (Free weight and machines)
• Using resistance bands
• Bodyweight exercises (e.g., Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges)
Questions about the Healthy Summer program? Contact Kelley Popkin at KA-Popkin@wiu.edu