WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL EXERCISE GUIDELINES FOR CANADA?

The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), provide recommendations for different age groups to help Canadians maintain and improve their health through regular physical activity. The guidelines are as follows:

Infants (under 1 year):

Encouraged to engage in a variety of physical activities, including supervised interactive floor-based play, throughout the day.
Should not be restrained (e.g., stroller, high chair) for more than 1 hour at a time.

Toddlers (1-2 years) and preschoolers (3-4 years):

Should accumulate at least 180 minutes of physical activity at any intensity throughout the day, including a variety of activities in different environments and activities that develop movement skills.
For toddlers, activities should be mostly energetic play, progressing towards at least 60 minutes of energetic play by 5 years of age.

Children (5-11 years) and youth (12-17 years):

Should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.
Activities should include vigorous-intensity activities at least 3 days per week, and activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days per week.

Adults (18-64 years) and older adults (65 years and older):

Should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.
Muscle and bone-strengthening activities using major muscle groups should be performed at least 2 days per week.
Older adults should also incorporate balance training to help prevent falls.