A study with findings that exercise is more important to your mental health than money made a splash recently. It did note that there was a diminishing return. Between 30-60 minutes a day was ideal. Those that worked out beyond 3 hours a day suffered more than those that weren’t that active. Take comfort that you do not need to be a professional athlete to be happy. 

 

Build up your endurance with moderate to vigorous aerobic activity or cardio. Use the talk test. Moderate-intensity means you’re breathing hard but can still have a conversation. If you can only say a few words before you have to take a breath, that’s vigorous-intensity. 

 

Include muscle-strengthening activity. These are movements that work your muscles as they move against resistance like weights or push-ups. Even heavy gardening with lots of digging and shoveling counts.

 

Increase your flexibility with stretching or yoga to protect yourself from injury and improve your posture.

 

Balance is also a key component of fitness and this can be as simple as standing on one leg.

 

We live in a society that says more is always better. Let’s remember goldilocks and shift to "just right" is best!