How Much to Exercise Each Day

You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week (and that breaks down to just 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week). What’s important to understand is that this is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. But if you want to drop those pounds, you’re going to have to be prepared for a bit more work and a healthy diet.

We much prefer the World Health Organization’s recommendation of between 50-60 minutes at a time for our members which is ideal to get the most out of your workout and see significant results. This was a major factor when we established the LAB5 classes and workouts!  Your LAB5 50-minute workout sessions should always include a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 40 minutes of the workout, followed by 5 minutes of cooling down and stretching.

Of course, putting in more time will get you more results — but there’s a limit. Excessive intense physical activity releases stress hormones, such as cortisol, into the body. This can actually inhibit weight loss, causing your body to react by storing fat and retaining water out of self-protection.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask any of our great instructors.

Alan and Bonnie Cashman

Co-Founders, LAB5 Fitness