Get moving guidelines
How much and how often
To stay healthy, adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of physical movement per week. That's just over 20 minutes every day.
Children and young people, aged 5 to 18, should aim to do 60 minutes per day.
Children under 5 should aim to do 180 minutes per day.
Many things count as movement as long as:
- your heart rate gets up
- you feel a little sweaty and warmer
- you’re breathing faster
You should exercise for at least 10 minutes each time, but doing less is still good for you.
To find out how much movement you should be doing for your age, visit the NHS website. You'll also find ideas on how to build more activity into your routine depending on your lifestyle.
Sit less and move more
Many everyday activities involve us sitting or lying down. These are often called sedentary behaviours and include:
- watching TV
- using a computer
- travelling by car, bus or train
- reading
It does not include sleeping.
Even if you're doing enough physical activity, sitting for more than 7 to 10 hours a day can be bad for your health.
It can be linked to an increase in health problems, including:
- being overweight or obese
- type 2 diabetes
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- injuries and pain to neck, back and shoulders
Find more information on why sitting too much is bad for your health on the NHS website.
If you reduce the amount of time you spend sitting or lying and increase your activity levels, this will help to improve your health.
Remember, exercise can be as simple as getting up and moving. You do not have to go to the gym or even dedicate time to exercise each day.
Find simple ways to add more movement into your daily life on our healthy habits webpage.