How much exercise do you need? Australia's movement guidelines explained

Today is National Ride2Work Day, so plenty of Australians are pumping up tyres they haven't touched since winter. It is a good moment to ask a simple question: how much exercise do you actually need?

The answer is less dramatic than social media suggests. You don't need a 5am bootcamp or a marathon plan. Australia's 24-hour movement guidelines, updated in 2026, look at your whole day: moving, strengthening, sitting less and sleeping well. Last week, an Australian study in Lancet Public Health also suggested that the toll of low activity on everyday health has been underestimated, which makes the basics worth revisiting.

Here is what the guidelines suggest, in plain language, how to fit them into a real week, and how the Thrive Health Band can help you see where you already are.

What Australia's guidelines suggest for adults

For adults aged 18 to 64, the Australian Government's 24-hour movement guidelines suggest:

Move most days. Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on most days.
Strengthen twice a week. Do muscle strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week.
Sit less and break it up. Limit long stretches of sitting and break them up as often as you can.
Build balance and mobility. Do activities that work on mobility, balance and coordination on at least three days a week.
Keep light movement going. Aim for several hours of light activity across the day, like pottering, housework or easy walking.
Sleep well. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of good quality sleep, with fairly consistent bed and wake times. For adults 65 and over, the guidelines suggest 7 to 8 hours.

"Moderate" means your breathing picks up but you can still talk: a brisk walk, an easy ride to work, mowing the lawn. "Vigorous" means you can only say a few words at a time: running, hill climbs, a fast swim. Both count.

What that looks like in a real week

Thirty minutes on most days sounds like a lot until you break it down. A few ways it can add up:

The commuter week. A 15 minute ride or walk each way, three days a week, gives you 30 minutes on those days. Add a weekend walk and a short session at home and most days are covered.
The lunchtime week. A brisk 30 minute walk on five workdays covers your 30 minutes on most days on its own.
The busy parent week. Short bouts add up. Three short walks a day, kicking a ball in the park and a Saturday swim all add up.

For strength, two sessions of 20 to 30 minutes are plenty to start. Bodyweight moves such as squats, push ups against a bench and step ups work well. Our article on how many steps a day covers walking targets, and movement breaks at work has simple ways to break up sitting.

If you are starting from very little, start small. Something is better than nothing, and building up slowly makes it more likely you will stick with it. Couch to 5k is one gentle path if running appeals.

How Thrive shows where you are now

Guidelines are easier to follow when you know your starting point. The Band records steps and heart rate through the day, and the Thrive by Optihealth app turns that into a picture of your week.

Steps and Today's Load. Today's Load brings together your steps and active minutes against how you slept, so a big activity day after a short night is seen in context.
Workouts. Log a ride, walk, swim or gym session, or create your own activity type. Outdoor workouts can use GPS for your route, pace and distance.
Strength sessions. Browse training programs by goal and level, including beginner options, and log your sets so your two strength days are easy to see.
Heart rate zones. Zone time helps you see whether a session was moderate or vigorous. Our article on heart rate zones explains how they work.
Today's Vitality and weekly recap. Today's Vitality brings sleep, heart, Today's Load and mood together, and the weekly recap shows how the whole week looked.
Ask Thrive. Try "How many active minutes did I get this week compared with last week?" or "How did my sleep look on days I exercised in the evening?"

Thrive also learns what is usual for you across nine areas of your health, and keeps track right across your health, including meals and Food Fit, blood tests, medications and supplements and your medical history. That matters, because activity sits alongside sleep, food and stress rather than on its own.

Before you step it up

If you have a health condition, are pregnant, have been inactive for a long time or have symptoms such as chest pain or dizziness with exercise, talk with your GP before making big changes. Thrive isn't a diagnosis, but Ask Thrive can help you get ready by lining up your activity, heart trends and how you have been feeling, so the conversation is quick and clear. Here is how to use Ask Thrive before a GP appointment.

If a trainer or physio is helping you build up, Thrive Loops lets you share selected information with a participating trainer, health professional or someone you trust. You decide what to share and with whom, and you can change or revoke access at any time.

Before you buy

You'll need a compatible iPhone or Android phone, because the Thrive app is on the Apple App Store and Google Play, in Australia and eight other countries. The app stores are only for downloading the app, though; they aren't where you buy the Band or a Plan. You can buy at thrivehealthband.com, or at a participating World Gym Australia location or health and wellness clinic.

The Thrive Health Band is A$660 for the first year under the launch offer. That includes the Band, which is yours to keep, and 12 months of the Thrive by Optihealth app, My Health on the web, Health Fingerprint, Ask Thrive, Thrive Loops and your data, paid once upfront. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Free Australia-wide shipping during the launch offer (usually A$14.99).

Nothing renews automatically. After your first year, you can get a new band plus 12 more months for A$660, or keep your band and renew the Thrive Connected Plan for A$240 a year, or A$29 a month with no lock-in.

You're also covered by a 12-month Thrive Care Warranty, and consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law always apply. See Returns if something is wrong with your purchase.

Common questions

How much exercise should I do a week in Australia?

For adults 18 to 64, the guidelines suggest 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on most days, muscle strengthening on at least two days, and balance and mobility activities on at least three days a week.

Does walking count as exercise?

Yes. A brisk walk where your breathing picks up but you can still talk counts as moderate activity.

Can Thrive show if I am meeting the guidelines?

Thrive shows your steps, active minutes, workouts and strength sessions over the week, so you can compare them with the guidelines yourself. It doesn't grade you against them.

For more answers, see Questions.