Even exercising once a week will make a difference

The personal trainers that work for Vintage Fitness here in Toronto are often asked the question “how often should I exercise”. 

The right answer really depends on what benefits you are hoping to achieve from exercise.  Health Canada suggests doing strength training exercises 2-4 times a week, doing cardiovascular exercise 30 mins everyday and stretching everyday.  If you are just starting out with exercise I wouldn’t suggest going out all guns blazing or you may get hurt or simply sick of the program.  Your first step should be thinking about why you want to become more active and write down a goal that has meaning in your life.  This goal will help you get up and get moving on days when you would rather not.

A new study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research followed 63 women over the age of 60.  The women did both aerobic and strength training for 16 weeks either once, twice or three times a week.  All of the participants improved their strength and endurance with no significant advantage for those who worked out more often. 

The take home message from the study is not to decrease your exercise if you are following Health Canada’s recommendations but to realize that even on the odd week you can only get one workout in during your week it will benefit you.

Good Luck

Erin

Vintage Fitness is an at home personal training company that specializes in energizing the lives of people over 50 with exercise.  We work in the Toronto area including Mississauga, Oakville, Etobicoke, Bloor West Village, Downtown, Midtown, North York and East York