Exercise has many benefits. Exercise makes you feel and look better. It reduces heart disease, diabetes and more. Physical activity is a way to change one’s life. It is usually what every doctor will tell you to add in your health regimen (if you have not already). Just as this is true, it is also true that there is a recommended amount of exercise that you should get based on age.
According to the CDC, children and adolescents (ages 6-17) should get 60 minutes or more of exercise each day. This hour is broken done. Part of the 60 should go to aerobic activity, muscle strengthening and bone strengthening. Examples of aerobic activity include but not limited to brisk walking, jogging or etc. Aerobic activity helps with heart health and the circulatory system. Muscle strengthening should be done 3 days per week within the 60 minutes recommendation. Examples of muscle strengthening include push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups or etc. Strengthening the muscles help with the structure of the body. Muscles are also there for movement as well. The last category, bone strengthening should be done 3 days per week within the 60 minute time frame. Bone strengthening activities include jumping rope or running. Strengthening bones is also important within children and adolescents because they are still growing. Having bone strength encourages support and structure. Also according to the CDC, it is important that the child’s or adolescent’s activity is age specific or appropriate. This means that a child should not be pumping weights. A child should not also be rock climbing. It should be appropriate and safety should also be of priority.
The next age group that is mentioned is the adult age group. Adults are usually aged 18-64. Adults have two categories that they should focus on. The first is aerobic activity. Aerobic activity should be done for 150 minutes per week. Aerobic activity should be moderately intense. This includes brisk walking. The second category is muscle strengthening. Muscle strengthening should be done two or more days per week. It should include all muscle groups. Another recommendation is doing the aerobic activity for 75 minutes per week, but increasing the intensity to vigorous or doing a mixture of moderate and intense aerobic activity. The CDC also suggests doing the aerobic activity by breaking it into 10-minute sessions as long as it adds up to the suggested workout time.
The last age groups consist of those aged 65 or older or older adults (for short). CDC recommends that this age group follows the adult age group recommendations. It is important for the older age group to get exercise as they age to prevent health problems. It also helps with independence and mobility by increasing support, structure and function.
Physical activity is vital to all age groups. One can never be to old or too young to commit to a workout/exercise regimen. Technically, exercise is a lifestyle that improves our overall health and life.