I’ve never met someone who felt they shouldn’t be doing some form of physical activity. Yet research suggests only a quarter of Americans meet guidelines for “aerobic and muscle strengthening” exercise [1].

If you’re unfamiliar with the current guidelines, here’s what they look like for a week [2]:

Physical Activity Guidelines

“Aerobic” Activity:
At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise.

“Muscle-strengthening” Activity:
Two or more days per week of moderate or greater intensity involving all major muscle groups.

Even if you love exercise, getting the recommended amount of “aerobic” and “muscle-strengthening” exercise takes significant effort.

If you dislike exercise, it may feel impossible. That’s why, instead of attempting to fix everything at once, we’ll narrow our focus to two questions.

Two Questions

Question One: What form of movement do you most enjoy or at least tolerate (this could include strength or aerobic activity)?

Question Two: What 20-minute chunk of your day is most resistant to interruption and fatigue?

Here’s an example of how you may answer these two questions:

1. My most tolerated form of movement is walking.
2. The 20-minute chunk of my day most resistant to interruption and fatigue is 11-11:20 AM.

The next step in creating a durable fitness habit is simple but not easy. It requires a commitment to four specific 20-minute time slots a week.

Here’s how that looks in practice:

I will walk at 11 AM for 20 minutes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

That’s it; this is where a durable fitness habit begins.

References

1. (2022). Physical activity among adults aged 18 and over : United States, 2020. Hyattsville, MD, https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:120213.
2. Piercy, K. L., et al. (2018). “The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.” Jama 320(19): 2020-2028.