Am I Exercising Enough?

During his assessment, we discuss his current exercise habits. He runs and cycles four days per week.

My next question is: “Is there anything else you do for exercise?”

This leads to a question I am often asked by clients: “What do you mean? How much exercise should I be doing?”

It is an important question. Exercise and physical activity are crucial components of good health, but an effective exercise program involves more than simply accumulating minutes. It should include an appropriate mix of cardiovascular activity, strength, mobility, balance and everyday movement.

What do the Australian guidelines recommend?

Australia's current movement guidelines recommend that adults aged between 18 and 64 remain active on most days, preferably every day.

A healthy week should include:

• Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes or more on most days
• Muscle-strengthening activities involving the major muscle groups on at least two days
• Functional activities targeting mobility, balance and coordination on at least three days
• Several hours of light-intensity physical activity each day
• Regularly breaking up prolonged periods of sitting

Moderate-intensity activity should noticeably raise your heart rate and breathing while still allowing you to hold a conversation. Examples may include brisk walking, cycling or swimming.

Vigorous activity requires greater effort and makes conversation more difficult. Depending on the individual, this may include running, rowing, higher-intensity cycling, circuit training or sport.

These recommendations provide a useful foundation, but they still need to be interpreted in the context of the individual.

Running and cycling—but no strength training

Returning to the 48-year-old lawyer, he was comfortably meeting the cardiovascular component of the guidelines. However, he was not performing any regular strength-based activity.

Rather than replacing the exercise he already enjoyed, we looked at how strength training could be incorporated into his existing routine.

One option was to include a short bodyweight circuit during one of his weekly runs. This could include exercises such as squats, lunges, bridges, push-ups, planks and supported single-leg movements.

I also recommended commencing a structured resistance-training program at a gym close to either his home or workplace. This would allow him to progressively load the major movement patterns used in daily life, including squatting, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling.

The important point was not that his existing exercise was ineffective. Running and cycling were already supporting his cardiovascular health. Strength training addressed an area his existing program was missing.

Starting from a different point

Another client was a 38-year-old woman who worked part-time in an office. She attended Pilates once per week and cycled for approximately 10 minutes on three days each week.

During our discussion, it became clear that she strongly disliked the gym environment. Recommending a conventional gym program was therefore unlikely to be useful or sustainable.

Fortunately, she had access to a stationary bicycle, resistance band and dumbbells at home. This gave us everything needed to build a practical program around her preferences.

Her program included Pilates-based mat exercises such as bridges, side planks, dead bugs and clams. We also incorporated exercises using her dumbbells and resistance band, including goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, bent-over rows and upper-body pushing and pulling movements.

For her cardiovascular exercise, we began by increasing her time on the stationary bicycle from 10 to 15 minutes at a comfortable-to-moderate intensity. The duration and intensity could then be gradually increased as her fitness and confidence improved.

The program was not complicated. More importantly, it was realistic for her.

The right amount is individual

Meeting the recommended amount of physical activity can seem daunting, particularly if you are new to exercise or have not been active for some time.

An exercise program should take into account your current health and medical conditions, exercise history, physical capacity, injuries, personal goals, available time and preferred forms of activity.

This is where the skills and knowledge of an Accredited Exercise Physiologist can be particularly valuable. The objective is not simply to prescribe more activity. It is to identify what you are already doing, determine what may be missing and develop a safe, achievable way to progress.

Consistency matters

An effective exercise program should be evidence-based and directed towards clear goals. It must also be meaningful and practical for the person expected to follow it.

Finding forms of exercise you enjoy can make it easier to remain consistent over the long term. Recommending a gym-based program to someone who dislikes gyms is unlikely to produce a good result when suitable alternatives are available.

That does not mean every exercise session will be enjoyable or easy. There will be days when exercising feels difficult. However, the overall program should be realistic enough to maintain and valuable enough to justify the effort.

So, are you exercising enough?

The answer depends on more than the number of sessions you complete.

You may be meeting the cardiovascular recommendations but doing little strength training. You may be strong but missing aerobic activity, balance or mobility. You may also be exercising regularly while spending most of the remaining day sitting.

A balanced approach considers all of these areas.

I encourage you to be as active as your health and circumstances allow. If you are unsure whether your current routine is meeting your needs, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist can assess your existing activity and help you develop an appropriate program.

Reference

Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Recommendations for adults aged 18 to 64 years: Australian 24-hour movement guidelines. Updated 3 June 2026.