How Much Weekly Exercise Is Enough?

Quick Gut Check: Are You Really Exercising Enough?

Most of us simply don’t exercise as much as we think we do. A 2016 study found that people routinely overestimate the amount of moderate and vigorous exercise they get by about 40 minutes per day, while underestimating their sedentary time by more than two hours.

Even if you’re among the 22% of Americans who meet the CDC’s basic physical activity guidelines (150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, plus two strength-training sessions), recent data suggests those guidelines are a floor, not a target. People who consider themselves “active enough” by standard metrics may still be leaving major health and longevity benefits on the table.

The Power of Aerobic + Strength Training Researchers recently pooled data from over 147,000 people tracked for up to three decades. Because the study monitored actual health outcomes over a massive period of time, it provides us with some of the strongest observational exercise data we have.

The findings gave us a clear, evidence-based target: Participants who consistently combined 30–45 weekly “MET-hours” of aerobic activity with 60–119 minutes of strength training each week had a staggering 45% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who were inactive.

While strength training alone for 90–119 minutes per week provided excellent benefits (including a 13% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 27% lower risk of neurological disease), the magic truly happens when you combine it with a higher volume of aerobic work.

What is a MET-Hour? To understand these targets, you need to know about METs (metabolic equivalent of task). A MET is a simple way of measuring how hard an activity makes your body work compared to sitting still.

Sitting: 1 MET
Leisurely walking: ~3 METs
Brisk walking: ~4 METs
Jogging: ~7 METs
Moderate cycling: ~8 METs

A MET-hour simply multiplies the intensity by the time. Jog for one hour at 7 METs, and you’ve banked 7 MET-hours. Walk casually for an hour, and you’ve banked 3 MET-hours.

In real life, hitting that 30–45 MET-hour “sweet spot” alongside your strength training doesn’t require living in the gym. If your only exercise is leisurely walking, it would take about 15 hours a week (nearly 3 hours a day) to hit optimal levels. But by picking up the pace or mixing in more intense activities, you dramatically cut the time investment needed to see the benefits.

A realistic week that lands you right in the study’s top-benefit zone (~38 MET-hours) might look like this:

Three 45-minute brisk walks (9 MET-hours)
Two 30-minute jogs (7 MET-hours)
One 60-minute cycling session (8 MET-hours)
Two 60-minute tennis matches (~14.6 MET-hours)

Add in your two weekly strength-training sessions at Hyatt Strength + Wellness, and you’ve reached one of the lowest-risk lifestyle combinations the study measured. It’s active, but not extreme. Consistency, not constant brutal intensity, is what actually separates the people who get this benefit from the people who don’t.

The CDC minimums are a great starting point, but every additional MET-hour you add (up to around 45 per week) buys you more protection. At Hyatt Strength + Wellness, smart programming and consistency are at the core of what we do. We want to help you figure out exactly where you stand and how to optimize your routine.

Ask yourself honestly: Do I know how many MET-hours I actually get in a typical week?

To help you answer that question, we want our members to utilize our new MET Tracker. By calculating your current baseline, you and your trainer can make data-driven decisions to bridge the gap between where you are today and where the science says you should be for long-term vitality.

Calculate your weekly activity with the Hyatt MET Tracker here!

Run your numbers, see where you stand, and let’s chat about your results!

Author Jeremy Hyatt, MS, CSCS is a personal trainer and co-owner of Hyatt Strength + Wellness. He believes it’s important to start with the basics and move from there. Too often, people get into complicated movements and goals before they have the proper fundamentals, which can lead to negative results. Jeremy has been working in the fitness industry since 1995 and co-founded Hyatt Strength + Wellness in 2011.