What type of exercise should I be doing?

To stay healthy or improve health, adults need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic and strength exercises. It also helps if we can be active daily. The NHS website has recommendations for different age groups and whether you choose to do moderate or vigorous aerobic exercise.

They recommend that we do strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.

For aerobic activity, you could decide to do moderate exercise, such as cycling or brisk walking, for 150 minutes each week, split into 30 minutes over five days or 10 or 15 minutes chunks across each day. Or you might decide that you’d rather have vigorous activity, such as running or playing tennis. If you’re new to exercise, you could build up slowly and try to do activities that you’ll enjoy or can share with other people. If you’re unsure about your physical health, check with your GP before starting to exercise.