How Much Exercise Do We Really Need? The WHO Guidelines

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1. 01How Much Exercise Do We Really Need?

   Good evening, everyone. I work at a desk all day, and I used to think exercise meant going to the gym five times a week. Since I didn't have time for that, I did nothing. Then I read the World Health Organization's guidelines, and they changed my mind.

   大家晚安。我整天坐在辦公桌前工作，以前我以為運動就是每週去健身房五次。因為沒有那麼多時間，我乾脆什麼都不做。後來，我讀了世界衛生組織的指南，想法就改變了。

2. 02The Weekly Goal

   According to the WHO's 2020 guidelines, adults should do between one hundred fifty and three hundred minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, or seventy-five to one hundred fifty minutes of vigorous activity, like running.

   根據世衛組織2020年的指南，成年人每週應該進行150到300分鐘的中等強度運動，比如快走；或者75到150分鐘的高強度運動，比如跑步。

   Source: World Health Organization, "WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour" (2020)

3. 03What That Means Per Day

   One hundred fifty minutes sounds like a lot, but it's only about thirty minutes a day, five days a week. A brisk walk to work and back could almost do it.

   150分鐘聽起來很多，但其實只是每天30分鐘左右，每週五天。上下班快走一趟，差不多就夠了。

4. 04Don't Forget Muscles

   The guidelines also recommend muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week. That can be as simple as squats, push-ups, or carrying heavy shopping bags.

   指南還建議，每週至少兩天做增強肌肉的運動。這可以很簡單，比如深蹲、俯臥撐，或者拎著沉重的購物袋。

   Source: World Health Organization, "WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour" (2020)

5. 05How Many People Reach the Goal?

   So how are we doing? Not very well. According to WHO data, about thirty-one percent of adults worldwide, around one point eight billion people, did not get enough physical activity in 2022. That's higher than in 2010.

   那麼，我們做得怎麼樣呢？不太好。根據世衛組織的資料，2022年，全世界約31%的成年人，也就是大約18億人，身體活動量不足。這個比例比2010年還要高。

   Source: World Health Organization / PAHO, "Nearly 1.8 billion adults at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity" (June 2024)

6. 06Some Is Better Than None

   Here's the message that helped me most. The WHO guidelines say that doing some physical activity is better than doing none. You don't have to reach the full goal on day one.

   對我幫助最大的是這樣一句話。世衛組織的指南說，做一些身體活動總比完全不做要好。你不需要第一天就達到全部目標。

   Source: World Health Organization, "WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour" (2020)

7. 07What I Do Now

   Now I walk to the station instead of taking the bus, use the stairs at the office, and do two short home workouts each week. It adds up to more than the minimum, and I barely notice it.

   現在，我不坐公車，而是走路去車站，在公司走樓梯，每週在家做兩次簡短的鍛鍊。加起來已經超過了最低標準，而我幾乎沒感覺到負擔。

8. 08Conclusion

   To sum up, the goal is smaller than many of us think: about thirty minutes of movement on most days, plus some strength work. Start small, and remember that every bit of movement counts. Thank you.

   總結一下，這個目標比很多人想象的要小：大多數日子活動30分鐘左右，再加上一些力量練習。從小處開始，記住，每一點活動都算數。謝謝大家。