According to the guidelines for how much aerobic exercise we need, if you do vigorous activity at 70 to 90 percent of your target heart rate, you can do twenty minutes, three times a week. If you think you really can't fit twenty minutes in, start with ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening. You will feel invigorated after ten minutes and will probably want to keep going. Even if you can't fit 10 minutes in, start with five minutes. Anything is better than nothing. You can jump rope, do jumping jacks, run in place, and any other myriad of activities that don't take up much space. I like doing a circuit in which I mix it up, switching each exercise after a few minutes. It keeps it fresh. If you have a rowing machine, elliptical, or treadmill, you can also alternate them with exercises like jumping rope or stair stepping.
If you wonder what vigorous activity is, it is going a little bit harder than being able to talk, but not so hard that you feel like you can't keep going and you feel totally out of breath. If you previously haven't done any exercise it is probably good to check with your doctor and make sure he signs off on your starting your exercise routine. He may suggest that you start off with moderate intensity activity like walking. Tomorrow I will talk about moderate intensity and how often you need to do exercise at that pace.
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