Healthy activities include physical exercises like walking, swimming, and dancing, as well as mental and social activities like reading, journaling, and spending time with friends. Physical activity can range from moderate, like brisk walking or cycling, to vigorous, like running or swimming laps. A mix of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and flexibility exercises is ideal for overall health and well-being.
Physical activities
Moderate intensity: Brisk walking, dancing, swimming, cycling, and water aerobics. Aim for 150 minutes per week.
Vigorous intensity: Jogging, running, swimming laps, and aerobic dancing.
Muscle strengthening: Activities using weights or rubber bands, climbing stairs, and lifting heavy objects. Aim for activities that strengthen muscles at least two days a week.
Other activities: Gardening, household chores like vacuuming, playing sports, and hiking.
Mental and social activities
Relaxation and stress reduction: Taking a warm bath, practicing deep breathing exercises, listening to music, or using aromatherapy.
Mindfulness: Mindful walking or sipping a warm drink, focusing on the experience.
Cognitive and creative: Reading, journaling, or taking part in a photo challenge.
Social connections: Spending time with friends, which can provide support, laughter, and opportunities to learn.
Cultural engagement: Watching a play to relax and broaden your horizons.
Being physically active helps all people, no matter their age, lead healthier lives.
Some physical activity is better than doing none. By being more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels.
Below are the levels of physical activity WHO recommends people of different ages undertake.
Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years
Should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.
Physical activity of amounts more than 60 minutes daily provides additional health benefits.
Should include activities that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 times per week.
Adults aged 18–64 years
Should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or equivalent.
Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
Adults aged 65 years and above
Should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
For additional health benefits, they should increase moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or equivalent.
Those with poor mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls, 3 or more days per week.
Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups, 2 or more days a week.
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