How the compass checks your week
The compass compares four numbers with public guidelines. For movement, WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination 1. To combine them, the tool counts one vigorous minute as two moderate minutes.
For strength, WHO recommends muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days a week, and from 65, varied activity with balance and strength on 3 or more days 1. For sleep, the tool uses the National Sleep Foundation range for your age 2.
How to read your compass
Each sun climbs as you get closer to the lower target. Start with the route that is furthest away; the tool suggests one small next step. WHO notes that some activity is better than none, and that, without contraindications, going beyond the upper range can bring additional benefits 1.
This is a comparison with guidelines, not a health assessment. The AASM recommends at least 7 hours of sleep for adults 3.
Questions people ask
How many minutes of exercise a week do I need?
WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate activity, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination, plus muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days 1.
Does strength training count toward the 150 minutes?
WHO lists them as separate targets: aerobic minutes on one side, strength days on the other 1. That is why the compass shows them as two routes.
What counts as moderate and vigorous?
Moderate effort raises your breathing and heart rate but still lets you talk; vigorous effort leaves you only a few words at a time. The compass counts a vigorous minute as two moderate minutes, in line with WHO's equivalent combination 1.
Is more always better?
WHO notes that, if there is no medical reason against it, more than 300 moderate minutes or 150 vigorous minutes can bring additional health benefits 1. Recovery and sleep still matter, so build up gradually.
Sources
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451–1462.
- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40–43.
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843–844.