How Much Should You Move?
Each week, you should aim to get:
| 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping | OR 75 minutes of vigorous activity | PLUS 2 sessions of strength training |
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That’s about 2 ½ hours for the week or 20–25 minutes most days.
| That’s 35–40 minutes twice a week, which can be helpful if you can’t find time.
| Take a day or two break in between sessions to rest your muscles. Recommendation is usually to do 8 exercises that target different muscle groups – your legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms. Keep good form and for each exercise:
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| Bursts of 10-15 minutes of activity throughout the day count! | ||
Examples of exercises – many of which can get your heart pumping and strengthen your muscles at the same time.
| Aerobic or cardio exercises | Strength-training exercises |
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High intensity interval training (HIIT) mixes short bursts of harder exercise with easier activity or rest. It’s a quick workout and has been shown to strengthen the heart, improve blood pressure and improve fitness levels. If you have a heart condition, check with your care team first.
How to Know If You Are Exerting Yourself Enough
It should feel like you are pushing yourself, but it still should be doable. You can use the “talk” or breath test.
- For moderate activity, your breathing will be faster than normal, but you can still talk.
- For high intensity or vigorous activity, your breathing is harder and you may only be able to say a few words at a time.
How to Avoid Overdoing It
Most people can safely exercise without any special medical evaluation or restrictions.
If you have chest pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, previous heart attack, heart failure or another form of heart disease, talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
Stop exercising right away and call 911 if you experience chest pain or discomfort, are short of breath, or if after stopping you have dizziness or nausea, or if you notice your heart racing or “skipping a beat.”
Exercise Safety Tips:
- If you’re new to exercise, start with shorter or less-intensive sessions and work your way up to five or more 30-minute sessions per week.
- Train your body and ramp up gradually before doing harder exercises.
- Before and after each workout, warm up/cool down with lighter exercises and stretches.
- Stay hydrated throughout your workout (if you have heart failure, ask your doctor about how much water you should drink).
- Learn your target heart rate and how to monitor your pulse. Research shows wrist-worn heart monitors aren’t always correct, so it’s best to learn how to check your pulse yourself.
- Listen to your body – and muscles. Your muscles may be sore at first as you add more movement , but it shouldn’t be painful and any soreness should lessen as your body gets used to the exercise.
- Avoid exercising outside in extreme cold, heat or humidity, or on days with high levels of air pollution.
American College of Sports Medicine
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www.acsm.org/public-information/fit
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Get the basics on physical activity
www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity
Walk with a Doc
Find a health-focused walking group near you
walkwithadoc.org
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Learn ways to incorporate
exercise into your routine
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/phy_act.htm
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Find fitness research, tutorials and tools
medlineplus.gov/exerciseandphysicalfitness.html
- Last Edited 12/16/2025