5 Easy Healthy Physical Activities for Adults

Many people don't get enough exercise to stay healthy. In fact, one in four adults is not active at all.

Physical activities can help prevent health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, and can help maintain your fitness. Muscle mass starts declining by 1% per year once you reach middle age. By the time you reach age 65, you can lose up to 80% of your muscle mass if you don't exercise regularly.

Keep reading to learn more about some physical activities you can do to stay active.

How Much Exercise Do Adults Need?

Adults generally need at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of both. With moderate intensity, you can still have a conversation while you exercise. With vigorous intensity, you may need to take a breath every few words.

It's also recommended that adults do strengthening activities at least two days a week. These activities will make your muscles work harder than normal. You should try to work out all major muscle groups, such as the abdomen, chest, arms, and legs.

If this sounds like too much of a time commitment, you can break exercise sessions into smaller chunks. As long as you stay active for at least 10 minutes at a time, you will still get the benefits of these physical activities.

Easy Healthy Activities

Getting enough exercise is sometimes difficult for adults with busy lives. Some activity is better than none, so you should always try to stay active, even if you're short on time. Below are some activities for adults that are easy to incorporate into your normal routine.

1. Walking

Walking at a brisk pace is one of the easiest ways to stay active. It's also a great starting point when increasing your physical activity because there's a low risk of injury. You should aim to walk at a pace of 2.5 miles per hour or faster.

If you have the time, going for a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood or a nearby park is a great way to get exercise. If you can't take that much time during the workday, schedule some walking meetings.

2. Yoga

You might think yoga is all about breathing exercises and relaxation, but certain types are actually great ways to get your heart pumping. Vinyasa yoga focuses on flowing from one pose to the next rather than holding poses. It's a more athletic type of yoga that gives your body the aerobic exercise it needs.

You might be thinking that yoga classes are too expensive, but there are plenty of free instructional videos available online. You can work out along with these videos from the comfort of your home, which also saves time driving to and from the gym.

3. Dancing

Dance classes are a great way to get your body moving, but if you don't want to pay for classes you can dance at home. Like with yoga, there are tons of videos available online. Whether you want to try hip hop, tap dancing, or salsa, there's sure to be a video you can dance along to.

But who says you need to take a class? All you need to do to get the aerobic benefits from dancing is to turn the music on and start moving!

4. Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises are a great way to add strengthening activities to your workout routine. This includes exercises such as crunches, planks, push-ups, and squats. These are great options if you don't have a set of weights at home or if you don't want to go to the gym.

Bodyweight exercises are a great way to bring variety to your workout routine. For example, you can work on your upper body one day and work on your legs another day. It's recommended that you perform these exercises for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your current fitness level.

5. Housework or Running Errands

You might think you don't have time to work out, but you can get exercise through a lot of your daily activities. Maybe your kitchen needs a deep clean or you need to vacuum the living room. You might not realize it, but a lot of the things on your to-do list can help you stay active.

Yard work is another great way to get exercise while taking care of business. It's an effective way to build muscle and get your heart rate up.

Going to the grocery store can also help you get some activity in when you're busy. Walking around the store racks up a lot of steps and carrying heavy bags inside gives you a workout. To get even more steps, try parking farther away from the entrance.

Stay Active to Stay Healthy

Many adults don't get the recommended amount of exercise to stay healthy. Some people feel they don't have enough time and some people don't want to commit to paying for a gym membership. Others might not know where to start.

The best way to ensure you're getting enough exercise is to stay active. You don't need to commit large chunks of time to work out every day. The important thing is that you keep moving your body.

If you need help finding ways to stay active, check out our wellness course for practical exercise tips.