How many days should I be exercising if I want to live a healthier life?

This is the first question someone should ask themselves when considering their workout routine. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not get this question right. Instead, a lot of people give the hopeful answer, the answer they think they should adhere to. Typically, I hear 4-5x a week. And for some people that is sustainable, but it is likely that physical exercise ranks high on their list of priorities and they enjoy it already. But for the majority of people it’s at this point, failure is inevitable. The time commitment is too much. When you ask yourself this question, brutal honesty needs to be considered, and a few variables need to assessed to get this question right for yourself.

·         Do I have any consistency in my schedule?

·         What days have the least chance of surprise events and interruptions?

For many people this is only 2-3 days a week. Weekends are typically different week to week, Fridays for most are hit or miss, and typically 1 other day of the week is used for life tasks like groceries or family time or something else. This obviously does not apply to all people, but the thought process remains the same. A schedule that is harder to break is easier to follow.

Realistically most people in this world have about 2-3 good days a week where they can get in a solid chunk of time (1 hour or more) for exercise. While this is a good sustainable relationship with exercise on paper, this does leave 4-5 days of inconsistency and lack of movement. How can one expect to get a true hold on their exercise routine when most of their days do not include exercise?

I’m sure you might be able to see where this is going. You need to do some sort of exercise EVERYDAY. I will go over the smaller details in next week’s question, “How long should I be exercising (and when)?” but the TLDR is that we are creatures that need to exert ourselves each day in order to thrive.  It can be as simple as a 20-minute walk outside, a quick kettlebell routine, a bike ride around town, anything really as long as you are moving with purpose.

Building out your week’s exercise routine will be unique to you, but it should contain the rough outline of: quick daily movement, 2-3 intense workouts (45-60min). For a working person this should be enough to maintain a healthier lifestyle without it being too overwhelming.