Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Kayla Walton

Clark County Health Department

Physical activity can bring about a range of emotions in most people. Maybe you’re an athlete, and physical activity has always been fun for you and a way to spend time with friends and family. Or perhaps the term physical activity brings about nightmares from high school gym class and you avoid it at all cost. More likely, you’re somewhere in between. Many people know exercise is good for us and we even feel better when we do it, but it can seem like a chore and finding the motivation to get started is difficult.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week, plus some muscle strengthening activity two days each week. This can seem overwhelming, but it is divided into just over 20 minutes daily. If you enjoy more intense exercise instead, you can substitute 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. What’s the difference between moderate intensity and vigorous intensity exercise? One good way to measure the intensity of the exercise is by your speaking capability. In moderate exercise, you will still be able to hold a conversation but are exerting yourself too much to be able to sing. It would be difficult to have a conversation throughout the activity in vigorous intensity exercises. An example for most people of moderate exercise would be a brisk walk, while vigorous exercise would be a jog or run.

Yet walking and running are not everyone’s favorite things, and sometimes are not accessible due to safety, weather, etc. So, what else can you do to get that physical activity in? We need to broaden our definition of physical activity. In its simplest definition, physical activity is just moving your body. What do you enjoy doing where your body is moving? Of course, this could be walking or jogging, lifting weights, going to a Pilates class, or any other numerous things we would traditionally label as exercise. These are all great things to do! But schedules, cost, and lack of enjoyment can get in the way of these things for many people. Maybe your best form of physical activity is weeding the garden, push-mowing the grass, or washing the car. Or perhaps you take your small children to the park and join in the fun rather than just watching. If you have older kids, try an activity they like to do. Do they play a sport, like hiking or biking? Physical activity can sometimes look like washing windows or pushing a vacuum. It can be a ten-minute dance break with your partner or throwing a Frisbee in the backyard with your best furry pal. 

Bringing the play factor back into exercise can make 150 minutes much more achievable. Taking time to figure out how you have the most fun moving your body will motivate you to keep coming back. Laugh at yourself, and give your smartwatch calorie counter a break. You might even discover you can enjoy exercise and put those gym class nightmares to bed.

Information from this article was taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.