Must I Exercise Every Day?

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Q: I have a hard time exercising during the work week. However, on the weekends I am able to go on casual walks and end up accumulating about 80 minutes of exercise. Is it all the same if I just squeeze all my exercise into just two days?

A: Any exercise is better than none. So if you can only fit in two days a week instead of seven, you’re still better off than walking for only one day, or none. Of course, if you’re only being physically active two days a week, more is better.

General recommendations for improved health are to exercise on most days of the week (that’s five to six) for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise like walking. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss, the consensus is that you need to do more—about 60 to 90 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week.

You clearly don’t feel like you have the time to walk during the week. But you can do something other than walk, and if you increase the intensity—go from a casual pace to working harder—you can shorten your exercise session. In other words, high-intensity exercise like running for 20 minutes burns about the same amount of calories as moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking for 35 or 40 minutes.

If you can squeeze in 10- to 15-minute higher intensity daily exercise sessions from Monday to Friday, you will not only decrease your potential health risks but you’ll also get fitter and maybe even decrease body fat over time. Here are some ways to sneak more movement into your day:

The easiest way to get more active is to wake up 15 minutes earlier and exercise at home before you jump into the shower. Most songs are three to four minutes long. So put on your MP3 player and dance around your living room to four to five of your favorite songs.
Most half-hour sitcoms have about 10 to 12 minutes of commercials. Vow to get up and move during every commercial break in one or two of your favorite evening TV shows.
Find a step (the back door step, your front curb, the stairs in your house) and step up and down for three to five minutes four or five times a day.
If you have an exercise machine like a bike or treadmill, jump on while you return phone calls.
Don’t play cards with the kids—head out to the backyard and play tag, duck duck goose, shoot hoops or toss balls.

If you aren’t used to working out at a higher intensity, you should only do so for a short period—even as little as one to three minutes—and gradually work up to longer bouts of higher intensity exercise.

Think of getting your daily dose of exercise as your fitness prescription to good health. Sure, being a slug all week is somewhat counteracted by your weekend activity, but if you regularly rev your body up a bit every day, you’ll get the stimulus from exercise that helps make your heart and body stronger and healthier.

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Martica is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist and an award-winning fitness instructor. She has written for a variety of publications including Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of seven books, including her latest, - Cross-Training for Dummies . (Read her full bio.)