Exercise

Exercise

Exercise 6 hours a week. 

  • 3 sessions of strength training 
  • 3 sessions of cardio
    • Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity (Zone 2) during which you can maintain a conversation. 
    • And 75 minutes of vigorous exercise where you’re unable to converse (like HIIT)
  • Include flexibility, balance, and mobility exercises. 

A workout protocol guide can be found here.

A few important tips: 

1. Avoid injury. Injuries can create serious limitations, create body imbalances and cause long term complications. It’s worth being cautious even if it means not doing certain things. 

2. Create an exercise habit. Do it everyday, no matter what (unless you’re injured, have a limiting medical condition, or under doctor’s orders). You don’t even think about it. It just happens out of habit. Do not give yourself the option to decide. 

3. Work on strength training, cardio, balance and flexibility. 

4. Move throughout the day – after each meal, be active for 5-10 minutes. Every 30 minutes, get up from your desk and move around a bit.

5. Don’t get caught up and paralyzed in all the nuances and rabbit holes of exercise. Being active, in whatever ways you can, pays big for your health. 

6. Considerations for premenopausal females: Women should prioritize high-intensity and strength training during the follicular phase (first half of the cycle), as estrogen enhances performance, muscle growth, and recovery. In the luteal phase (second half), focus on lower-intensity activities like Zone 2 cardio and lighter strength training, as higher progesterone reduces exercise capacity and slows recovery.

7. Considerations for postmenopausal women: Prioritize strength training and HIIT to help maintain muscle mass, improve insulin sensitivity, and protect bone density. Weight-bearing exercises are essential for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and maintaining overall functional strength as estrogen levels decline.

The scientific evidence behind exercise is compelling, plus it makes you feel great. Regular physical activity is extremely important for increasing life expectancy and overall health.

  • Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of all-cause mortality by 26%-31% and cardiovascular disease by 28%-38%. (link)
  • A 2012 BMJ cohort study of ~1.1 million Swedish adolescent males showed that those in the weakest third for muscular strength had about a 20–35 % higher risk of premature death (before age 55) compared with the strongest third, independent of BMI and aerobic fitness (Ortega FB et al., 2012).
  •  Every pound of muscle burns 3x more calories than a pound of fat (6 versus 2) (Zurlo et al., 1990) 
  • Working out 2-4 times beyond the minimum recommended amount of vigorous physical activity (150-299 minutes per week) is associated with a 21%-23% lower risk of all cause mortality (link)
  • Combining moderate and vigorous physical activity can provide nearly the maximum mortality reduction of 35-42% (link)
  • Even small amounts of intense intermittent lifestyle physical activity (such as brief bursts of very fast walking or stair climbing for 1-2 minutes) are associated with lower cancer risk