Ever been called “obsessed” for taking the stairs?
Have you ever been called “obsessed” for taking the stairs? Or “extreme” for choosing to walk a short distance instead of driving? I’m sure most of you are familiar with family and friends being subtly (or not so subtly) judgemental about our “obsession” with movement.
But are we being truly, objectively, obsessive?
The World Health Organisation says we aren’t. That might be surprising to you, and will likely be surprising to the people judging you.
Here’s what the WHO actually recommends
What does this mainstream health body consider the bare minimum for health?
For adults, the WHO recommends at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. That’s up to an hour, five days a week—and the WHO explicitly states that going beyond this delivers additional health benefits. On top of that, they recommend muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups on at least two days a week.
Think that’s demanding?
The baseline for children and adolescents is even higher. The WHO recommends they get an average of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every single day, plus bone-strengthening work three times a week.
And for anyone with a desk job, the message is starker: to mitigate the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary time, you should aim to do more than these recommended levels.
Lest you think the requirements diminish with age, people over 65 are not spared. The guidelines state they need the same aerobic and muscle-strengthening targets as younger adults, plus an additional requirement: varied, multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training on at least three days a week to enhance functional capacity and prevent falls. As we age, the WHO doesn’t ask for less; it demands more.
Your “obsession” is just meeting the standard
Let those numbers sink in.
All your efforts to stay active—day in and day out, in all kinds of ways—may feel extreme compared to others, but they’re perfectly aligned with official WHO recommendations.
You feel like an outlier not because your standards are impossibly high, but because the prevailing social norm for movement is pathologically low. You are not extreme. The modern default of near-total physical stillness is.
Next time someone rolls their eyes at your habits? Politely point them towards the WHO guidelines and tell them you simply follow the recommendations.
