Guidelines from the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine  recommend that, regardless of weight, adults and children should spend a total of at least one hour each day in moderately intense physical activity. This recommendation takes into consideration the increased caloric
intake of our population, our lack of activity, and our rising prevalence of obesity.

If you don’t have an hour that you can dedicate to exercise, work on incorporating more activity into your daily routine. Every little bit helps. Studies have actually shown that the benefi ts of exercise are cumulative (i.e., performing a few minutes of exercise at a time is as effective as performing all the exercise at once). Here are some suggestions:
• Do housework or gardening with vim and vigour.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Use your break at work to go for a brisk walk.
• Ride your bike to the store.
• Park your car farther away and walk to your destination.
• Wash your car instead of using the drive-through.
Of course, if you can set aside an hour for exercise each day, that is great. Otherwise, try to set aside an hour three to four times a week and on the other days, use some
of the above ideas to work more movement into your day.