How many days a week should one exercise?

[SunsetRunner]

I exercise 7 days a week, power walk 3 to 5 miles each day & lift weights 3 days a week. I want to take a day or 2 off each week. Is there more benefits to having a rest day a week or 7 days straight exercising?  I'm 59 years old & relatively healthy, but wondering if I'm doing this right.  I've searched health websites, some say take a day off  or 2 days as long as its not in a row, than others say at least 30 minutes a day. any  ideas on this? Thank You

[Baltoscott]

It depends.  You have to learn to listen to your body.  You definitely need rest between weight-lifting sessions, and this is the time of year where people really tend to overdo it, going from not exercising at all, to exercising to a sweat everyday.  That usually only lasts until a week or two or until the first injury.  So if you are new to exercising 7 days a week, you might want to dial it back.  

I am about the same age as you and do something every day, but that "something" isn't usually full on as hard as I can do.  I lift weights M,W,F each week (with every eighth week off), and bike commute most days.  A couple days a week I push hard on the bike, but usually I just use it to get to work without shooting for an exercise benefit.   

[emili · Accepted solution]

Hey @SunsetRunner- I usually take off Fridays- but I still walk. Walking is not an intense activity so I wouldn't count it as exercise per se. You for sure don't need to power walk, but a normal paced walk of three miles is a pretty good way to still keep your energy levels up without overdoing it.

[SunsetRunner]

I lift weights the same days as yourself. I have noticed my knees sometimes get a dull ache, sometimes 1 or both. The thing is with me is if I don't do some form of exercise everyday, I feel sluggish And have no energy what so ever & to put it bluntly I get **ahem**y LOL. Just not sure if I should give my joints a rest. I only do low impact. Thank you for your reply

[SunsetRunner]

When I do try to take a day off I then worry about my steps, I want to keep my daily steps consistent,  Maybe I should just not wear my fit bit 1 day a week.

[Baltoscott]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

When I do try to take a day off I then worry about my steps, I want to keep my daily steps consistent,  Maybe I should just not wear my fit bit 1 day a week.

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Well, as long as that doesn’t cause you to walk extra on the other 6 days to keep your weekly step count up 😝

Seriously, although you may have to learn  to check your inner competitor, you’ll probably appreciate checking out your monthly and yearly step totals a lot more if you keep your Fitbit on 24/7.  It is at its best in revealing and encouraging your non-exercise steps throughout the day. 

[SunsetRunner]

I workout 5 days a week with weight training (45 minutes) and cardio (30 minutes) and take two days off each week. Basically I workout 2 days in a row with a day off. On my days off, I get in a 3-5 mile walk.

I tried doing a 3 day on, one day off schedule for like 2 weeks, and man, it's hard to push myself with ONLY one day off a week.

I also do a *hills and valley* type routine. For two weeks, I go as hard as I can (given energy levels for course) with weights and cardio. Then one week of "de-loading" where it's more moderate and easy. This helps with keep my enthusiasm up and not wear myself out.

I'm 53 years old and I want to avoid injuries as much as I can.

[bcalvanese]

Every day as long as you do recovery workouts as needed.