Once you decide to exercise, the questions come in order: how much, how to start, and what to do if something hurts. We have set out the exercise guidance of the UK National Health Service (NHS), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) one page at a time, and added home routines — 69 guides on exercise. This page lines up all 69 in one table, with the rule each guide puts in its title.
1. The adult target is one number. 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strength work on 2 days (NHS, ages 19 to 64).
2. Moderate is measured by talking. If you can talk but not sing, it is moderate (CDC). Children aged 5 to 17 need 60 minutes a day (WHO).
3. Start small. Brisk walking from 10 minutes a day; a warm-up of at least 6 minutes (NHS).
If something hurts, how long common illnesses last and when to get help is in Common illnesses.
1. How much to move (12 guides)
The guidelines and how to count them. For adults nearly every agency says the same: 150 minutes a week plus 2 days of strength work.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (19 to 64) | 150 minutes moderate or 75 vigorous a week, strength on 2 days (NHS, ages 19 to 64) | NHS |
| Adults 65 and over | Every day, 150 or 75 minutes a week, strength, balance and flexibility on 2 days | NHS |
| Children | 60 minutes a day at 5-17, muscle and bone 3 times a week, 180 minutes at 1-4, screens under 1 hour | WHO |
| How much strength work | At least 2 days a week, 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, separate from the 150 aerobic minutes | NHS |
| Measuring intensity | Talk but not sing is moderate, only a few words is vigorous | CDC, WHO |
| A weekly plan | 150 minutes + 2 strength days, 30 × 5, CDC's three sample weeks and a checker | CDC |
| Being more active | Move every 30 minutes, about 20 minutes a day for 150 a week, strength 2 times a week | NHS |
| Sitting time | No hour limit, sit less and move more than 150-300 minutes a week | WHO |
| Benefits of exercise | Up to 30% lower risk of early death, 10 lower risks, 150 minutes a week, and 7 hours of sitting | NHS |
| Inactivity in numbers | 31% of adults (1.8 billion) fall short, 20–30% higher risk of death | WHO |
| Calories burned | 140 kcal for a 30-minute walk and 295 for a run at 70 kg; weight loss is mostly diet | CDC |
| Barriers to exercise | Find five 30-minute slots in a week | CDC |
2. Walking, running and avoiding injury (8 guides)
For beginners and runners: warming up, cooling down and how fast to build up.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brisk walking | Start with 10 minutes a day, about 3 miles an hour, talk but not sing, counts towards 150 minutes | NHS |
| Couch to 5K | 9 weeks, 3 runs a week, from eight 1-minute runs to 30 minutes non-stop | NHS |
| Warming up | Five moves, at least 6 minutes: 3 minutes marching, 60 heel digs, 30 knee lifts | NHS |
| Stretching after exercise | Five stretches, about 5 minutes: buttock, hamstring, inner thigh, calf and thigh for 15 to 20 seconds each | NHS |
| Injury prevention | Warm up 10 to 15 minutes, cool down 5 to 10, raise running 10% a week or less | NHS inform |
| Running injuries | Knee, Achilles, shin, heel and muscle strain: ice up to 20 minutes, see a doctor after 1 week for the knee and 2 to 3 weeks for the Achilles | NHS |
| Knees for runners | Five moves: thigh contraction 10 sets of 5 seconds, hamstring 3 sets of 15 seconds, lunges 3 sets of 5 reps | NHS |
| Sprains and strains | Sprains and strains advice, don't over-rest, ice up to 15 minutes, early anti-inflammatories may slow healing | NHS inform |
3. Exercises for pain, by body part (12 guides)
NHS inform (NHS Scotland) exercise sheets by body part. Most keep pain within 0 to 5 and say to get advice if there is no change after 6 weeks.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Back | 5 exercises (knee rolls, pelvic tilts, knee hugs, cat camel), pain 0 to 5, advice after 6 weeks | NHS inform |
| Neck | 4 movement exercises for neck pain, 2 to 3 repetitions every hour, building to around 10, advice after 6 weeks | NHS inform |
| Shoulder | 6 exercises for shoulder pain, 2 sets of 8 two to three times a day, up to 2 sets of 15 | NHS inform |
| Elbow | 4 exercises for elbow pain (flex and extend, palm up/palm down, wrist flexion), pain 0 to 5, advice after 6 weeks | NHS inform |
| Wrist, hand and fingers | 12 video exercises (finger bends, thumb stretch, wrist bend), 9 minutes 57 seconds, pain 0 to 5 | NHS inform |
| Hip | 4 exercises for hip pain (bridge, leg lifts, chair squat), pain 0 to 5, up to 2 sets of 15 | NHS inform |
| Knee | 5 exercises for knee pain (lying knee bend, static quad, leg raises, seated knee extension stretch), holds of 2, 10 and 5 seconds | NHS inform |
| Calf and ankle | 5 exercises for ankle pain (ankle bend, tilt, heel raises, calf stretch), stretch 20 to 30 seconds, up to 2 sets of 15 | NHS inform |
| Foot | 4 exercises for foot pain (calf stretch, big toe lift, toe curl, heel raise), start with 2 to 3, up to 2 sets of 15 | NHS inform |
| Building up when it hurts | Pain 0 to 5, start at 2 to 3 reps, up to 2 sets of 15 | NHS inform |
| Sciatica | Keep moving rather than rest, usually better in weeks to months, and five emergency signs | NHS |
| Work-related injuries | Prevention tips, a 20-minute walk twice a day, change position often | NHS inform |
4. Age 65 and over (5 guides)
Balance, strength and flexibility work recommended for people 65 and over.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | 3 days a week with poor mobility, one-leg stands of 5-10 seconds, five moves by a wall | WHO, CDC, NHS |
| Strength | Twice a week, 5 sit-to-stands, 3 sets of 5-10 wall press-ups | WHO, NHS |
| Flexibility | Twice a week, neck rotations and stretches held 5 seconds 3 times, sideways bends, calf stretches | NHS, WHO |
| Sitting exercises | Twice a week, chest stretch 5-10 seconds 5 times, twists and hip marching 5 each, ankles 2 sets of 5 | NHS |
| Bone health | Weight-bearing exercise builds density, not swimming or cycling, 700mg calcium | NHS |
5. Health conditions, disability, pregnancy and after birth (11 guides)
With a health condition, a disability or a pregnancy the targets barely change; the starting amount and what to avoid do.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 150 minutes and 2 days of strength work, start from 5 minutes, some pain at first is normal | CDC |
| Diabetes | 150 minutes a week, 30 minutes most days, start with a 10-minute walk after dinner | CDC |
| Chronic conditions | Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, rest swollen joints | NIA |
| Disability | The 150-minute guideline still applies; do what you can; 82% more active when a doctor advises | CDC |
| Wheelchair users | The same 150 minutes and 2 days of strength work, starting at 10 minutes and building to 20 | NHS |
| Depression | Especially useful for less severe depression, start with 10 minutes, NICE suggests 10 weeks of group exercise | NHS |
| Breathing for stress | Deep into the belly, counting 1 to 5, at least 5 minutes | NHS |
| Pregnancy (NHS) | 150 minutes a week, start with 10 minutes a day, strength on 2 days, avoid lying flat | NHS |
| Pregnancy (WHO) | 150 minutes a week, strength and stretching, no lying flat after the first trimester, heat or fall risks | WHO |
| After birth | Pelvic floor 10 seconds, 10 repeats, 3 times a day, deep stomach exercise, check the tummy gap at 8 weeks | NHS |
| Pelvic floor | At least 8 squeezes, 3 times a day, for 3 months (NHS incontinence treatment) | NHS |
6. Home workouts (12 guides)
Home routines we put together. The moves are our selection; the pain and see-a-doctor lines in each guide come from NHS and WHO pages.
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Home workout basics | 5 bodyweight moves, no equipment | Our routine |
| With a chair | A 15-minute full-body workout with just a chair | Our routine |
| No-jump cardio | 5 no-jump moves (quiet home workout) | Our routine |
| Plank, 5 levels | 5 levels from easy to hard | Our routine |
| Push-up progression | The 5-stage progression, wall to floor | Our routine |
| Core and abs | 5 quiet core & ab moves | Our routine |
| Standing core | 5 standing core moves | Our routine |
| Lower abs | 5 lower-ab core moves | Our routine |
| Lower body | Metabolism, knees, balance | Our routine |
| Glutes | Protect your back and knees | Our routine |
| Knee strengthening | Twinges in your knee? 5 low-impact knee-strengthening moves | Our routine |
| Upper body with water bottles | 5 upper-body moves with water bottles (no dumbbells) | Our routine |
7. Stretches at your desk and before bed (9 guides)
Short stretching routines for people who sit a lot (our selection).
| Topic | What the guide says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Morning stretch | 5 full-body morning stretches in 5 minutes | Our routine |
| Bedtime stretch | Can't sleep? 5 gentle bedtime stretches to unwind | Our routine |
| Lower back | Lower back stretches for desk sitters: 5 moves at your desk | Our routine |
| Forward head posture | Turtle neck stretches: 5 moves you can do at your desk in a minute | Our routine |
| Tight shoulders | 5 shoulder stretches at your desk | Our routine |
| Wrists and hands | Wrist & hand stretches for typers: 5 desk moves | Our routine |
| Hips and glutes | 5 moves for desk-bound bodies, a 30-second self-check and a four-week plan | Our routine |
| Swollen legs | Tired, swollen legs from sitting? 5 calf & ankle moves | Our routine |
| Rounded back | 5 moves to fix a hunched back & rounded shoulders | Our routine |
How to read it
The numbers are a weekly total. 150 minutes can be 30 minutes on 5 days or more at the weekend. How to count it, with sample weeks, is in the weekly plan guide.
Where the source column says "Our routine", the choice and order of moves are ours. Those guides still take their pain and see-a-doctor lines from NHS and WHO pages.
Checklist
- ☐ Write down last week's activity in minutes — every target here is minutes a week
- ☐ The number of days with strength work (2 or more?)
- ☐ At 65 and over, balance work as well
- ☐ If something hurts, the pain rule (0 to 5) in that body part's guide first
Questions that remain
Why foreign agencies?
The NHS, CDC and WHO publish their guidelines and exercise sheets for the public and give them in numbers — minutes a week, reps and sets. For adults the three use the same figures: 150 minutes a week and 2 days of strength work.
Can I exercise if it hurts?
The body-part guides score pain from 0 to 10, ask you to stay within 0 to 5, and say to get advice if there is no change after the stated time. Sudden severe pain or emergency signs call for a doctor, not exercise. This page is general information, not a diagnosis.
Sources
- Our 69 guides linked above — each cites the NHS, CDC, WHO, NIA or NHS inform page it sets out, with the date checked and the wording quoted. The cells on this page are taken from each guide's title.
- Not read. Korean agencies' exercise guidelines are not in this table.
- What we added. The seven groups and their order, and the choice of moves in the home and stretching routines.
Written on 29 October 2026. The rules are taken from the linked guides; the grouping is ours.
