I believe I do close to the minimum, or what should be the minimum, amount of exercise per week, to guarantee borderline sufficient health. Maybe still not enough, but sadly it seems I still exercise more than most people. Many studies indicate that consistent aerobic and anaerobic exercise is important for sufficient healthspan in later years, to ensure continued enjoyment of life through mobility, strength, injury prevention, cardiovascular/respiratory health, etc.
Running
I currently run 2 miles 5 times a week for a total of 10 miles, at a leisurely pace (conversational; controlled closed-mouth respiration repeating every ~5s) varying depending on if I’m running outside (faster) or on a treadmill, typically ranging from 7′ to 8’30” avg pace per mi, sometimes a little slower or faster, based on energy level, weather and other factors. Definitely not super speedy, long or max effort (I’m not as fast as I was as a young teenager who ranked highly on the cross-country team, but can still run sub-6′). I no longer run to race, but for general fitness and health (including cardiovascular/respiratory), and for that, going all out or for a very long time is not always more constructive.
Running is also one of the few hobbies I started as a teenager that I continue to enjoy well into my adulthood, especially on a nice day outside in nature while listening to music I like.
Outside as of 2025 I sometimes wear an N95 for oxygen-restricted training, like a minority of runners do, which can help improve VO2 max and other markers. It has the added benefit of limiting exposure to air pollution (smoke, car exhaust, PM2.5, etc) which can be inhaled at greater amounts when respiring while running (this is also why it’s a good idea to keep the mouth closed while running outside, as the nasal passageways can naturally filter some particles).
Lifting
In the last year or two, I started slacking on my lifting workouts for a few reasons, including injuries and muscle wear/tear, such as spontaneous tendonitis: started with my right arm in Oct 2023 (confirmed by MRI), which resolved over a half year or so in 2024 with the help of rotary cuff tendonitis rehab exercises as demonstrated and explained by Jeremy Ethier (Built By Science), and more recently, in Aug 2025, with my left arm, which seems to be gradually improving as of Dec 2025 with the help of some of the aforementioned exercises as well as bicep tendonitis rehab exercises as demonstrated and explained by Jeffrey Peng MD. I recommend these videos to anyone experiencing similar issues as they show clearly how to perform the exercises correctly, and seem to work with persistence (e.g. up to a few times a week for at least a few weeks).
Besides the rehab exercises, in general I do a variety of dumbbell, machine, and bodyweight exercises focusing on upper body and core. These include dumbbell curls of different forms. My bodyweight exercises include at least a dozen full-ROM (range of motion) pull-ups and chin-ups. Progress on many of these exercises was stalled with my injuries and schedule but I intend to get back up to speed this year.
In the past year or so I typically did 1-2 lift workouts a week for up to 60 minutes each, and I recently set my weekly schedule to guarantee 2 lift workouts per week, with runs on the other days, so I have a daily workout.
I used to have a gym membership where I lifted but since COVID I lift at two places: my girlfriend’s residential gym (where there is an assortment of dumbbell and barbell weights, weight machines, Peloton bikes, Technogym treadmills, ellipticals, step machines, etc; even a yoga room which I sparingly use), and home, where I have a treadmill, dumbbell/barbell weights collection, self-standing power tower for pullup/chinups, rarely-used resistance bands that I allocated for rehab, and an all-in-one home gym machine that cleverly uses bodyweight as the weight mechanism; the products are below although it seems most are currently unavailable on Amazon.
Pull Up Bar Dip Bar Power Tower Workout Dip Station Height Adjustable Free Standing Chin Up Bar for Small Person Teens Women (not sure the product description here matches what I purchased; I’m 5’11” and the product I received was sufficient)
NordicTrack T Series treadmill
Far from being the Hulk, I lift more with the goal of maintaining sufficient muscle mass over the years, as in adulthood after age 30, muscle mass tends to naturally decline (I’m closer to 40). This touches on my comment in the intro about maintaining healthspan for more worthwhile years. I recommend Peter Attia’s book Outlive for a detailed discussion about this. I don’t exercise nearly as much as he does but I’d like to think I’m doing enough for now.
