Exercising with a health condition

How do guidelines apply if you have a health condition?

The weekly targets are the same as for other adults. Adults living with a long-term condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, HIV or after cancer) or with a disability should aim for the same amounts where they can. If you can't, any activity you're able to do brings benefits.

For aerobic activity, that means at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent mix of the two³. Muscle-strengthening activity at moderate or greater intensity on 2 or more days a week adds further benefits for adults in general¹. Older adults are recommended varied multicomponent activity at moderate or greater intensity on 3 or more days a week, to keep them able to do everyday things and help prevent falls¹.

Guidelines rarely change these amounts for a particular condition⁴. So the right amount and type of activity for you depends on your abilities, symptoms and preferences, ideally worked out with your doctor or another health professional. Advice for long-term conditions should also take account of what you can do now and how confident you feel².

• Start at the level you're at now and build up slowly. Guidelines often advise building intensity slowly if you've been inactive, and doing as much as you can if you can't meet the full amount⁴.
• Choose activities that suit your symptoms and preferences, and adjust them on days when your condition is worse.
• Remember that exercise doesn't have to hurt to work. Soreness isn't needed for progress, and pain during exercise is a signal to stop or ease off.

For people with no reasons they shouldn't be active, activity is considered safe. It is linked with benefits for people with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes¹.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. If you're unsure whether anything about your condition affects what's right for you, ask them too. A general health advice line, or a service for your condition such as a diabetes or heart organisation, can also help you plan.

Exercise is an addition to your care, not a replacement. Keep taking any medicines and following any treatment plan your doctor has given you, and talk to your doctor before changing or stopping them.

If your condition flares, a muscle or joint is sore, or you feel dizzy and it settles, stop or ease off. See a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse. Unusual tiredness isn't an emergency and isn't a reason to push on or to ease off: get it checked by a doctor.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe. Don't wait to see if it passes, and don't drive yourself to hospital: call an ambulance. If you feel sick, sweaty or unwell during or after activity, or have breathlessness or dizziness that doesn't settle, don't just ease off. The emergency advice above applies, or see a doctor if it was mild and passing.