. 2006 Oct 7;333(7571):740–743. doi: 10.1136/bmj.333.7571.740

Table 7.

Department of Health recommendations on physical activity for adults^*

• Thirty minutes of at least moderate activity on at least five days a week

• For many people, 45-60 minutes of moderate activity a day may be necessary to prevent obesity

• People who have been obese and have managed to lose weight may need to do 60-90 minutes of activity daily to maintain weight loss

• Recommended levels of activity may be obtained in one session or as bouts of activity of 10 minutes or more

• The activity can be “lifestyle” activity (such as walking, cycling, climbing stairs, hoovering, mowing lawn), structured exercise, or sport