Ideas for getting active
Looking for ideas for physical activity that fit your
lifestyle?
Experts say to do regular
moderate activity and/or
vigorous-intensity activity.
But how do
you know which activities are “moderate” and which are “vigorous”? In general,
you notice your heart beating faster than usual when you do an activity at a
moderate level. When you do something at a vigorous level, your heart beats
much faster and you breathe harder.
Here are some ideas for both
types of activities. You can boost many of the moderate activities in the left
column to a vigorous level by doing them faster or harder.1
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Moderate intensity
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Vigorous intensity
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General exercise:
- Brisk walking
- Slimnastics and
Jazzercise
- Light to moderate calisthenics (for example, home
exercises, back exercises, getting up and down from the
floor)
- General health club exercise
- Low-impact aerobic
dancing
- Jogging on a small trampoline
- Weight lifting, body building, using a lot of effort
|
General exercise:
- Jogging or running
- Walking
uphill
- Heavy calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks,
etc.)
- High impact aerobic dancing
- Step
aerobics
- Jumping rope
- Circuit training with little rest
|
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Water exercises:
- Leisure swimming (not swimming
laps)
- Treading water with moderate effort
- Water
aerobics or water calisthenics
- Rowing a canoe for
pleasure
- Kayaking, canoeing, white-water
rafting
- Springboard or platform diving
- Paddle
boating
- Sailing and windsurfing
- Water
skiing
- Snorkeling
- Surfing
- Water
volleyball
|
Water exercises:
- Swimming laps, any type of
stroke
- Treading water with fast, vigorous effort
- Water
jogging
- Synchronized swimming
- Rowing a canoe in
competition
- Skimobiling
- Skin diving and scuba
diving
- Water polo
|
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Bicycling:
- Street biking at 11 mph or slower
|
Bicycling:
- Mountain biking
- Street biking
at 12 mph or faster
|
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Gym equipment:
- Stationary bicycling, with light effort
- Light to moderate workouts on gym equipment like Nautilus or
Universal machines or a rowing machine
- Light effort on a rowing
machine
|
Gym equipment:
- Stationary bicycling, with moderate to
vigorous effort
- Using a stair-climber or skiing
machine
- Moderate effort on a rowing machine
|
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Organized sports:
- Basketball: Shooting baskets
- Coaching sports
teams
- Cricket
- Curling
- Drag
racing
- Fencing
- Casual racquetball (not
competitive)
- Archery
(non-hunting)
- Badminton
- Golfing
- Motocross
- Shuffleboard
and lawn bowling
- Skateboarding
- Sky
diving
- Softball
- Ping-Pong
- Noncompetitive
volleyball
|
Organized sports:
- Basketball: playing a game,
officiating
- Boxing
- Broomball
- Football
- Ultimate
Frisbee
- Handball and jai alai
- Competitive
racquetball
- Judo, karate, and tai kwan
do
- Kickball
- Lacrosse
- Polo
- Rugby
- Roller
skating
- Soccer
- Squash
- Tennis
- Competitive
volleyball
|
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Outdoor activities:
- Horseback riding in
general
- Fishing and hunting
- Playing with a
Frisbee
- Children's games, like hopscotch, 4-square, and dodge
ball
- Playing on playground equipment
- Hacky Sack
|
Outdoor activities:
- Horseback riding—trotting or
galloping
- Competitive sports like rugby, field hockey, and
soccer
- Orienteering
- Rock climbing
- Hiking
with a backpack
|
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House and yard work:
- Sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping
floors
- Washing the car with vigorous effort
- Sweeping
the garage, sidewalk, or patio
- Washing the dog
- Mowing
or raking the lawn
- Digging in the garden
|
House and yard work:
- Carrying groceries
upstairs
- Carrying boxes or furniture
- Baling hay or cleaning the barn with vigorous effort
|
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Winter activities:
- Ice skating slowly
- Downhill skiing with light to
moderate effort
- Snowmobiling
- Shoveling snow
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Winter activities:
- Ice skating more than 9
mph
- Downhill skiing with vigorous effort, as in
racing
- Bobsledding, tobogganing
- Snowshoeing and
cross-country skiing
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Citations
-
Ainsworth BE (2002). Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Columbia, SC: Prevention Research
Center, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina.
Available online: http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/compendium.htm.
Last Updated:
August 26, 2008
Ainsworth BE (2002). Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Columbia, SC: Prevention Research
Center, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina.
Available online: http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/compendium.htm.
