The UK Has Updated Its Exercise Guidelines: What You Need to Know

If you think the UK exercise guidelines are simply about achieving 150 minutes of exercise a week, it might be time for an update.

In July 2026, the UK Chief Medical Officers refreshed the physical activity guidance for adults, incorporating newer evidence on the relationship between movement, health and longevity.

The headline message?

Every minute counts.

So, what are the updated recommendations?

The familiar targets are still there. Adults should aim for:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week: This includes activities that make you breathe harder but still allow you to hold a conversation, such as brisk walking, cycling or many forms of exercise.

Or:

• 75 minutes of vigorous activity: This includes activities where talking becomes difficult, such as running, fast cycling or high-intensity exercise.

You can also combine moderate and vigorous activity across the week.

The updated guidance is much clearer about something that I think is incredibly important:

You don't have to reach 150 minutes before you start getting the benefits.

• Any activity is better than none.

• Every minute counts.

• And the health benefits increase rapidly as people move from doing almost nothing to doing something.

Why this matters...

because one of the biggest barriers to exercise is the belief that if you can't commit to an hour at the gym or hit the magic 150-minute target, there is no point bothering.

That simply isn't true.

• A 10-minute walk counts.

• Taking the stairs counts.

• Getting up from your desk regularly counts.

• Doing 15 minutes of strength training counts.

• Going for a bike ride with the family counts.

The updated evidence reinforces my own message:

Stop waiting for the perfect workout. Start moving.

The other part of the guidelines that you shouldn't ignore…

Strength train at least twice a week

The updated UK guidance continues to recommend activities that build or maintain strength in the major muscle groups on at least two days per week.

• And in my opinion, this is the bit that deserves far more attention.

For years, public health messaging around exercise has focused heavily on cardio.

• Walk 10,000 steps.

• Go for a run.

• Cycle more.

• Get your heart rate up.

All great things to do....But strength matters too.

• Strength training helps maintain muscles, bones and joints and supports physical function throughout life. As we get older, maintaining strength becomes increasingly important for independence, mobility and reducing the risk of frailty.

• It doesn't mean becoming a bodybuilder or spending hours lifting weights.

It could include:

• Resistance training in the gym.

• Bodyweight exercises.

• Pilates or other appropriately challenging resistance-based exercise.

• Heavy gardening.

• Carrying heavy shopping.

• Functional exercises such as squats, lunges, pushing and pulling.

The key is that the activity needs to challenge your muscles.

And then there is the thing many of us do far too much of…Sitting.

• The guidance continues to recommend minimising sedentary time and breaking up long periods of inactivity.

• This is particularly relevant if, like many of my clients, you train for an hour in the morning and then spend the rest of the day sitting at a desk.

• A good workout is brilliant.

• But being active for one hour doesn't necessarily mean the other 23 hours don't matter.

The solution isn't to panic about sitting down - It's simply to build more movement into your day.

• Take a walk at lunchtime.

• Get up between meetings.

• Walk while taking a phone call.

• Use the stairs.

• Park a little further away.

• Do a few minutes of mobility or bodyweight exercise between long periods of sitting.

Every bit counts.

Why has the guidance changed?

The previous major update to the UK guidelines was in 2019.

Since then, the evidence linking physical activity to better health has continued to grow.

The 2026 refresh reviewed more recent evidence and reinforced just how powerful physical activity can be for both physical and mental health.

The guidance highlights benefits including better sleep, stress management, weight maintenance and quality of life, alongside reductions in the risk of a range of chronic diseases and health problems.

According to the updated UK guidance, physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of conditions including:

• Type 2 diabetes.

• Cardiovascular disease.

• Depression.

• Falls.

• Joint and back pain.

• Breast and colon cancer.

It can also support brain health and help reduce the risk of conditions such as dementia, while strength and balance become increasingly important as we age.

For me, the biggest shift is away from an all-or-nothing approach to exercise.

• The 150-minute target remains an excellent goal.

• But it is no longer something people should see as the minimum entry requirement for better health.

• If you currently do very little activity, you don't need to suddenly start training for an hour every day.

• Start with something.

• Then build on it.

Because the evidence shows that the biggest gains can come when we move from being completely inactive to becoming even a little more active, with benefits continuing to increase as activity levels rise.

So what should you aim for....some practical advice

1. Move every day: Don't worry about finding the perfect exercise routine. Find ways to move that fit into your life.

2. Aim towards 150 minutes of moderate activity each week: Or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of the two.

3. Strength train at least twice a week: Your muscles, bones, joints and future self will thank you.

4. Sit less and move more: Break up long periods of sitting wherever you can.

5. If you're currently doing nothing, start small: A 10-minute walk is not "too little".

It's a starting point.

Remember...

• You don't need to become a marathon runner.

• You don't need to join a gym.

• You don't need to exercise perfectly.

• But you do need to move.

Doing something is better than doing nothing. Every minute counts. And more movement—alongside regular strength training—can have a profound impact on how long and how well we live.

• So perhaps the question shouldn't be:

• "What's the perfect exercise programme?"

Instead, ask: "How can I move a little more today?"

Because that's a great place to start.

The UK Chief Medical Officers' updated physical activity guidance and adult infographic can be found on GOV.UK physical activity guidelines. The 2026 refresh retained the core 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity recommendation, while strengthening the communication around the benefits of even small amounts of activity and the importance of strength, balance and reducing sedentary time.