JJ Virgin breaks down the exercise hierarchy for health: aim for 7,000 steps daily spread throughout the day, add resistance training twice weekly, do HIIT twice weekly, and include yoga. One minute of high-intensity movement equals 4 to 9 minutes of moderate activity.
Jackie asks, how many steps per day are recommended? Here's the reality. The studies are like 7,000 seems to be the sweet spot, but that doesn't mean more isn't better. Here's how I think of this. I want to make sure that you have a good foundation, just moving more all throughout the day, and ideally all throughout the day, not all at once, because whenever you're moving, it's helping with blood sugar regulation. Now, the more intensity you move with, the better. We now know that 1 minute of intense movement can equal anywhere from 4 to 9 minutes of moderate movement. So while I want you moving all throughout the day, if some of that could be running up the stairs, that's even better. But foundationally, I like to make sure that you're moving 7,000 or more steps per day just as a baseline. And that's what the latest studies say. 7,000 seems to be that sweet spot of like lower cardiovascular risk, etc. Then you add on to that. Next, I want to make sure you're getting your resistance training in. Minimum effective dose, 2 days a week, about 30 minutes. Same thing there. If you could add more, great. Next thing I would add from there is high-intensity interval training to produce lactate, which is so great for your brain and for your heart. Love to see you doing that twice a week. Next thing I would add would be a yoga class for some mobility, proprioception, balance. So that's how I think of the exercise hierarchy, but it all starts with making sure the non-exercise part, those steps, are just foundational in your life.
