Show
Moderate-intensity aerobic activity noticeably accelerates your heart rate. Examples of this type of activity include brisk walking, cycling at moderate speeds, mopping, or walking with a purpose. Moderate-intensity activity also generally “breaks a sweat.” As a general guideline, if you are doing moderate-intensity activity, you can usually talk, but cannot sing, during the activity. Whereas, if you are doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Vigorous activities include running, cycling at fast speeds, and swimming laps.
Moderate activity includes any type of activity in which the core body temperature is raised, and you sweat but can still carry on a conversation with someone. Vigorous exercise is an exercise so intense that you are only able to answer short yes or no type questions. This is known as the sing song test. With moderate exercise, you will be able to sing a song, or carry on a conversation and still be able to continue the activity. Examples would include a brisk walk, a nice hike, yoga, moderate intensity weight training, a light jog, washing the car, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn. Vigorous activity will be of a high enough intensity that you are only able to give short responses like yes or no answers to questions. Examples would include a fast jog or run, climbing a steep hill or mountain, strenuous weight training, carrying heavy bags of concrete and strenuous calisthenics. To maximize your health you should perform lots of moderate physical activity each day and incorporate some vigorous activity into your routine 2-3 times a week. The more activity and the more vigorous activity you perform the more fit you will become and the greater health you will experience.
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.
To maintain or improve your health, adults need to do aerobic and strength exercises every week. As a minimum adults aged 19-64 should try to be active daily and should do:
or
or
One way you can achieve 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on 5 days a week. Aerobic activitiesAerobic physical activity helps to protect and maintain heart, lung and circulatory health, thereby reducing your risk of ill health as well as enhancing your mental health and wellbeing and helping you to maintain a healthy body weight. What counts as moderate activity?Moderate aerobic activity will increase your heart rate and make you breathe faster than normal and feel warmer. This can include: It can also include more simple things like pushing a lawnmower, painting and decorating or heavy gardening. Anything that isn't intense enough to increase your heart rate and breathing speed, like day to day housework or cooking, doesn't count towards your recommended amount of activity, although if it breaks up long periods of sitting it is still beneficial. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate level is to try the ‘walkie, talkie test’. For example when walking briskly if you can still talk, but you can't sing the words to a song you are working at a moderate intensity. However if you are struggling to say more than a few words between breaths then you are likely to be working vigorously. What counts as vigorous activity?Vigorous physical activity can bring health benefits over and above that of moderate activity. During vigorous physical activity your heart will beat faster and your breathing rate will also increase. You’ll know when you are being vigorously active as, unlike moderate activity you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath. They’ll be no singing during the ‘walkie talkie test’. Moderate and vigorous intensity is subjective, what is moderate to one person may be vigorous to another. It all depends on how fit you are. Generally, the types of activity that require vigorous effort for most people include: In general, 75 minutes of vigorous activity can give similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate activity. Or simply one minute of vigorous is equal to two minutes of moderate activity. Therefore, the more you do, the greater the benefit to your health. Muscle strengthening activitiesMuscle strength is necessary in order to build and maintain strong bones so that we can easily do everyday tasks. It also regulates blood sugar and blood pressure and helps us to maintain a healthy weight. Muscle strengthening activities are counted in repetitions and sets. A repetition is one complete movement of an activity, like a bicep curl, sit-up or push-up. A set is a group of repetitions. Muscle strengthening activities are not considered an aerobic activity, so should be done in addition to them. Muscle strengthening activities may sound like they have to be intense, however activities focused on improving flexibility and mobility in your muscles also count towards your recommended amount. As long as you start off slowly and at pace that feels comfortable you can build up to more intense strengthening or muscle building activity if you wish. Strength exercises include: Some activities count as both an aerobic activity and a muscle-strengthening activity, such as:
Exercise intensity refers to how hard your body is working during physical activity. Your health and fitness goals, as well as your current level of fitness, will determine your ideal exercise intensity. Typically, exercise intensity is described as low, moderate, or vigorous. For maximum health benefits, the goal is to work hard, but not too hard – described as moderate intensity by Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines. These guidelines recommend that for good health, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days, in addition to a general message of moving more and sitting less. This is the same for women and men. Pre-exercise screening is used to identify people with medical conditions that may put them at a higher risk of experiencing a health problem during physical activity. It is a filter or ‘safety net’ to help decide if the potential benefits of exercise outweigh the risks for you. Ensure you read through the pre-exercise self-screening before you embark on a physical activity or exercise program. Measuring exercise intensityThere are various ways to measure your exercise intensity to make sure your body is getting the most out of every workout. You may need to experiment to find out which method of measuring exercise intensity suits you best. Three different measurement methods include:
Measuring exercise intensity using your target heart rateThe human body has an in-built system to measure its exercise intensity – the heart. Your heart rate will increase in proportion to the intensity of your exercise. You can track and guide your exercise intensity by calculating your Target Heart Rate (THR) range.For moderate-intensity physical activity, a person's THR should be 50 to 70 per cent of their maximum heart rate. The maximum rate is based on a person's age. An estimate of a person's maximum heart rate can be calculated as 220 beats per minute (bpm) minus your age. Because it is an estimate, use it with caution.Keep your heart rate at the lower end of your recommended range if you are just starting regular exercise. Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts as your fitness improves. Also, your heart rate should stay in the lower ranges during warm-up and cool-down periods.Using a heart rate monitor is an easy way to keep track of your heart rate while you’re exercising, or you can take your pulse (see below).Seeking medical advice about your target heart rateIf you have a medical condition, are overweight, are aged over 40 years or haven’t exercised in a long time, see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new exercise program. Your heart rate target range may need to be professionally recalculated to take your health and general fitness into account.Some medications can alter your heart rate response to exercise, so make sure you discuss the medications you are taking and how they could affect your exercise plans with your doctor. It may be necessary to use another option for monitoring exercise intensity if you are taking certain medications.Target heart rate chart
Measuring your heart rate by taking your pulseTaking your pulse at regular intervals lets you know whether you are exercising within your target heart rate range. Some tips include:
Factors known to influence heart rateIt’s not just exercise that affects your heart rate. Your beats per minute could be raised by a number of internal and external factors including:
Measuring exercise intensity using the talk testThe talk test is a simple and reliable way to measure intensity. As a rule of thumb:
Measuring exercise intensity using the exertion rating scaleThis method is based on observing your body’s physical signs during physical activity, including increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue. To keep within a moderate intensity, aim to experience the exercise signs 3–7 in the chart below.You can keep a diary of your exertion ratings to monitor your fitness progressions. As you become fitter, the same activity will become easier and your exertion rating will decrease. Then you’ll know it’s time to increase your effort.
Your body’s response to moderate intensity exercise normally includes:
Exercise intensity warning signsIf you experience any of the following symptoms, stop exercising and seek medical help:
Where to get help
Things to remember
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. |