The United States Office for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends adults at least 150 to 300 minutes per week moderate exercise, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, or “an equivalent combination of both intensities.” However, the results of a study recently published in the journal Traffic suggested that increasing the time you spend cycling, weightlifting, and running may promote longevity.
The study found that those who exercised two to four times above the moderate physical activity recommendations (about 300 to 599 minutes per week) reaped the most rewards from their exercise program. These participants also had 26% to 31% lower all-cause mortality, 28% to 38% lower cardiovascular mortality, and 25% to 27% lower non-cardiovascular mortality.
Under, Maillard Howella personal trainer and owner at Dean CrossFit in New York City, and dr Sean Heffron a cardiologist NYU Langone Healthoffer their best tips to safely round off your current training program.
Follow the 10% rule to increase your exercise program
When it comes to running, there is one rule that you should increase your mileage by no more than 10% per week to avoid injuries while increasing fitness. For example, if you run 10 miles one week, you shouldn’t run more than 11 miles the next week. Heffron says you can follow this rule no matter what type of fitness you prefer.
When thinking about how to measure that 10%, he recommends looking at training in terms of duration or intensity. In other words, you can either increase the duration of the effort or how exhausting the effort is on your body – but only by 10%. “The risk of orthopedic injuries can increase significantly if you try to increase it further,” explains Heffron. “I remind people that 10% is the max.” He adds that increasing your training by 1% or 5% is probably more sustainable in the beginning.
Progress and deload, progress and deload
Instead of looking at your fitness journey as a game where you level up each week, try to take breaks every now and then to de-stress, rejuvenate, and recover.
Below, Howell provides a strength training example for progression and tapering, but you can apply the same thinking to any type of workout.
Weeks 1-4: Weightlifting by gradually increasing your fitness plan each week by gradually increasing the weights.
Week 5: Unloading, reduce the weights to the same load you lifted the first week.
Week 6: Restart your program but aim to hit a higher peak weight by the end of week 4.
Tune in to your body’s signals – and adjust your training accordingly
“Pain is your body’s way of letting you know that what you’re doing isn’t good,” says Heffron. While it’s okay to feel out of breath and unwell, dizziness, excessive tiredness, and feeling unwell are good reasons to stop your workout.
According to Howell, tuning in to yourself can also help you see if you could do more. If the exercise program you followed last month now feels like a no-brainer, or your body composition isn’t changing, maybe it’s time to dive a little deeper into your workout — and really see what you can do.
Above all, pay attention to when you really enjoy your workout. Maybe your brain is sending the message that you really love that hike or HIIT workout, and that’ll inspire you to add it to your schedule more often, says Heffron.
Prioritize recovery
As you put more and more strain on your muscles, you need to balance that effort with rest. “Recovery is important no matter what stage of your journey you are in,” Howell says. “The stimulus is different for each of us, so whether we’re an Olympian or a desk jockey, we’re going to feel the effects of a training program, although those programs can be significantly different.”
weeks unloaded, sleep quality, easy walks, stretching, and limiting alcohol intake are all free ways to recover, he says. But massage guns, saunas, massages, ice baths, and chiro adjustments can also be helpful if they fit within your budget. Personally, Howell is a fan of bike rides, saunas, and getting plenty of sleep (including naps).
Let go of the mindset that you “have to” move a certain way.
The good news about increasing your exercise minutes is that you can choose to do more of what you love or give something new a try. Maybe that means you’re a runner hopping on a bike, or you’re a devout yoga practitioner looking to try a trampoline class.
However, those extra minutes of practice don’t have to be quite so formal. Heffron wants you to remember that your daily life is full of opportunities to get your heart rate up. “I tell people get off the bus, stop earlier, get off the subway one stop early. If you live on the 15th floor, get off the elevator on the 10th floor and take the stairs up,” he says. “If you don’t live in an apartment building, enjoy the time outside doing gardening or something.”
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