Do I have to do a certain amount of cardio exercise a week, or can I get fit on muscle-toning classes (Pilates, for example) alone?

The bottom line is, yes, you do. A balanced fitness programme is not just about the tone and strength of your muscles or the stamina of your heart and lungs, but also the flexibility and mobility of your joints. How much cardio you do depends on your goals. If you want to improve your long-term health (protecting yourself from more than 20 chronic diseases), the chief medical officer recommends 30 minutes of exercise six days a week. This can be broken down to three bouts of 10 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking. If, on the other hand, you wish to see improvements in your cardiovascular fitness (ie, the stamina of your heart and lungs), the American College of Sports Medicine recommends three to five sessions a week at an intensity of 55-90% of your personal maximum heart rate. Benefits of resistance training to improve muscle tone, strength and bone density are achieved with one set of eight to 10 exercises for each of the major muscle groups. Weight-bearing style exercise, such as astanga, vinyasa-style yoga or Pilates, can give similar benefits.

I suggest you try to complete your 30 minutes of exercise every day, and think of it as your wellbeing foundation. This can be accumulated throughout the day, with active travel to work, then decide what you want to achieve. Or invest in a pedometer and aim to accumulate 10,000 steps a day – if you walked continuously at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, you’d do the equivalent to 4,500-5,000 steps, but the daily aim of 10,000 is a good one if you are not able to take your 30 minutes of exercise in one go. The bottom line is to do something you enjoy and keep moving your body.

· Joanna Hall is a fitness and exercise expert (joannahall.com). Send queries to: Weekend, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER ([email protected]).

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