How Much Exercise Per Week Do You Actually Need?

Japanese walking this . Hot Pilates that . Trendy workouts may be top of mind, but one question always remains: How much exercise per week do you actually need to be healthy?

Before diving into the exact amount of time you should be physically active every week, let's do a refresher on why you should be exercising in the first place. The benefits, as you probably already know, are many . Alexis Colvin, MD , board-certified orthopedic and sports-medicine surgeon at Mount Sinai and chief medical officer for the US Open , lists the biggest ones as follows:

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services , adults should work out for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. You should also consider strength-training exercises at least twice a week. Dr. Colvin further explains that this breaks down to about 30 minutes a day for five days a week, and you can do some combination of vigorous and moderate exercise throughout the week.

An easy hack if you're just getting started? Try splitting the daily 30-minute sessions into 10-minute intervals throughout the day. And if you are super active and looking for more of a challenge, you can obviously go beyond the recommended time. "For additional health benefits, doubling that—300 minutes of moderate [exercise] or 150 minutes of vigorous [exercise]—is encouraged," she says.

Generally, there is no difference in how much exercise one needs based on gender. The only other consideration is that if you have limited mobility or other medical conditions, you may need to consult your physician on the most suitable physical activities.