Exercise: How Much is Too Much and Too Little?

A debate among the health care industry and fitness industry as well for many years and probably many more to come is that of how much exercise a person should do.

In my younger years I was involved in many sports; gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, soccer and basketball. Believe me I have heard it all when it comes to talk about exercise. I don't believe anyone actually knows how much exercise a person needs a day. I believe it depends on that person, each and every one of us is different, with different strengths and weaknesses, muscle mass, etc, but of course this is just my personal opinion.

The fact of the matter is that any amount of exercise is great for the body as long as your body can handle what you are putting it through. Problems begin when a person over exerts their muscles. This is when a person can have muscles cramps, or pull a muscle and at the extreme tear a ligament. Always make sure your body is in the right shape for the exercise you are going to do.

Research has shown a few guideline to follow to insure your are doing the correct amount of exercise your body can handle.

Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise, three or four times a week, at moderate exertion will get you significant benefits.

On the higher end, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 30 minutes a day with only a couple of days off each week, or about 150 minutes per week.

For those of you who don't like to exercise but know you need to do something for your health, the ideal amount is probably somewhere in between: 30 minutes a day at least three days a week.

At 90 minutes a week - You can do a 30 minute or 15 minute intervals-- you can help your heart get stronger, provide more oxygen to your cells, lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol numbers.

It is all in what you and your body are able to do, and what results you want in the end.