How many minutes of aerobic exercise is appropriate each time?

For the vast majority of healthy adults, 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise at a time is the most cost-effective option. Less than 20 minutes is difficult to fully mobilize the long-term mechanism of fat energy supply, and more than 90 minutes may increase the potential risk of joint wear and increased cortisol.

That’s not to say that we have to stick to this number. There are actually different voices in the academic circles. The WHO updated the exercise guidelines a few years ago, saying that even if you do moderate-intensity aerobics for 10 minutes each time, you can achieve the same fitness level by doing 30 minutes a day. Health benefits are especially suitable for office workers who sit in the office every day and cannot spare a full time. Some time ago, in order to reduce body fat, my colleague split his lunch break to check his mobile phone into two 15-minute walks downstairs. He also lost 6 pounds in three months. It was easy to persist without any delay.

If you are new to sports, don’t force yourself to do it. I took my cousin to lose weight two years ago. She started running for 40 minutes with the blogger. The next day, her knees hurt so much that she couldn’t go downstairs, so she took a rest for half a month. Later, she changed to walking briskly around the neighborhood for 20 minutes every day, and slowly increased the amount. After half a month, she could run smoothly for 30 minutes. Now she can easily complete a half marathon.

In fact, this length of time is like brewing jasmine tea. If the time is short, the aroma will not come out, and if you brew it for a long time, it will become astringent and bitter. You have to adjust it according to your own situation: if you just want to move your muscles and bones on a daily basis, 20 minutes of Baduanjin and slow walking are completely enough.； If the goal is to brush fat, try to squeeze in more than 30 minutes. The intensity should be at a level where you can speak normally but cannot sing coherently. ； If you have basic diseases such as high blood pressure and knee arthritis, don't exercise for too long. Stop moving until you start to sweat slightly. That's better than anything else.

Oh, by the way, many people on the Internet now say that 15 minutes of HIIT is more effective than one hour of aerobic exercise. This is actually another training path. HIIT is an interval training, which requires high cardiopulmonary and muscle strength. People who have no exercise foundation can easily sprain their feet and become breathless when practicing blindly, and the gain outweighs the gain. If you are an endurance athlete preparing for a competition, it is normal for you to do long-distance training for two or three hours every day. This is because you have a long-term sports foundation to support you. Ordinary people should not copy it. Just do it at your own pace. Don't blindly follow the standards of "must exercise for an hour".