Muscle Strengthening Activities: What Counts?

Besides regular aerobic activity, good health and wellness comes from doing exercises to strengthen your muscles at least two days a week. These activities should work all the major muscle groups of your body. That means your legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms.

You can do muscles strengthening activities on the same or different days that you do aerobic activity. Do whatever works best for you and your schedule. But do keep in mind that muscle strengthening activities don't count toward your aerobic activity total.

How do I know if I'm doing light, moderate, or vigorous aerobic activity?
For most people, light daily activities such as shopping, cooking, or doing the laundry doesn't count toward the guidelines. Why? Your body isn't working hard enough to get your heart rate up.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether you prefer to do so at home or at the gym. You may want to try the following:

• Lifting weights
• Working with resistance bands
• Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance (i.e., push ups, sit ups)
• Heavy gardening (i.e., digging, shoveling)
• Yoga