Track active minutes against guidelines.
Physical activity guidelines are written in moderate-intensity equivalents, which is why a straight sum of your exercise minutes understates what you have done. Vigorous activity counts double, so forty minutes of running credits eighty, and ninety minutes of brisk walking plus that run reaches 170 of the 150 minutes recommended for adults. Moderate means you can talk but not sing; vigorous means only a few words at a time. The aerobic target is only half the recommendation, though — muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week is a separate requirement with independent benefits for bone density, glucose handling and the preservation of function with age, and it is the part most people miss while hitting their step count. Doubling the aerobic guideline to 300 credited minutes brings further benefit, with returns flattening beyond that.
Credited active minutes against guidelines
Credited minutes = moderate minutes + 2 x vigorous minutes; share of guideline = credited / guideline x 100; shortfall = max(0, guideline - credited); the strength recommendation is met at two or more days a week
Based on general public health recommendations for healthy adults, not individual medical advice. Requirements differ during pregnancy, in older age and with chronic conditions. Consult a health professional before substantially increasing activity if you have been inactive or have a cardiovascular, metabolic or musculoskeletal condition.
The talk test. At moderate intensity you can hold a conversation but not sing; at vigorous you can say only a few words before needing a breath. Brisk walking and easy cycling are moderate; running, singles tennis and hill cycling are vigorous.
Not usually — the two recommendations are separate. Circuit training with minimal rest can raise the heart rate enough to count for both, but conventional strength work with full rests should be logged only as strength days.
Some, but the curve flattens. The largest health gains come from moving from inactive to roughly 150 minutes; beyond 300 the additional benefit is modest, and training goals rather than health guidelines become the reason to do more.