Once you get moving, what does it take to make a real impact on your well-being? Here’s what we know.  You’ll improve your health and fitness by being physically active for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.  Those improvements can go way up – in endurance, strength, balance and flexibility – if you increase that to 60 minutes a day.

One way to look at the key elements to any effort to get moving is by thinking FITT – that stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.  Let’s take a closer look at each.

• Frequency.  How many times a week do you participate in activities? Ideally, physical activity should be performed each day.  Of course, how active you are during any given week can vary.  Keeping a log is a great way to chart your frequency and remind you of how far you’ve come or where you still have to go.

• Intensity.  How hard do you work? You need to be careful to match your level of intensity to your fitness ability.  You can gain many health benefits from regular, moderate physical activity, so what you’re doing doesn’t have to be strenuous to be beneficial.  But think of intensity in terms of things like how fast you’re breathing or your heart is beating, how much you’re sweating, and how much effort you feel you’ve put in.  Any increases in intensity should be gradual, so your body can adapt.

• Time.  How much time do you spend on each activity? Just add up your time during each type of physical activity, and gradually increase that by a maximum of 10% each week.  If you’ve taken a 20-minute walk and want to go longer for more benefit, the next week go for 22 minutes (a 10% increase is another two minutes).

• Type.  What activities are you interested in doing? That’s a critical question; when you choose activities that you look forward to, you’re more likely to continue. 

Over time, you’ll probably alter how often you’re active, the duration of each activity, the intensity (light, moderate, vigorous), and the types of activities you do.  Variety is important.  It helps keep you interested, motivated and excited about what you’re doing.

In becoming more active, what you do and how you do it depends on your interests, schedule, current activity level, motivation, and many other factors.  You’ll find what activities work best for you, and that can change over time. 

What matters most is simply getting started on something – anything – that brings you satisfaction and health benefits.  For your “Getting Started Checklist”.

Still have questions?

Read about other people's experiences, ask questions and find resources in your community. Register to gain access to online content here.

Talk to someone who has been there. If you’d like to access the Ortho Connect Phone Program, call the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation at 1-800-461-3639, or click here to complete an application form.

This website is produced free of charge by the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, Canada’s charity dedicated to bone and joint health. It is through your kind generosity that we are able to update and maintain this site and the Ortho Connect Peer Support Program. Please give generously to help thousands of Canadians cope with and recover from their orthopaedic journey. Donate Now