“Yeah, yeah yeah… I know, I know…I need to get more exercise.” How often do we hear ourselves say those words when we constantly get badgered by our doctors, children, spouses or friends to get off our behinds and move:? Well, there’s a good reason we keep getting “nudged” and “reminded”: Exercise is so essential to maintaining your health and a strong immune system that if you choose not exercise, you are literally inviting disease to pay you a visit.

To say “exercise more” is fine and well, but the real questions are how often, how hard and what kind? I personally choose to exercise 45 minutes on an elliptical machine at least five days per week, which plays a major role in helping me maintain optimal health. This is the minimum you should exercise if you really want to see large improvements in your overall health, body composition and level of fitness.

There are benefits from shorter bouts of activity or the same amount of exercise only three times per week, but the benefits can more than double just by adding a fourth day and increase exponentially from there.

Don’t worry too much about what types of exercise you do. Even the experts argue about which type is best – running, biking, swimming, walking on so on – but what really matters is that you choose an activity you can enjoy and that you sweat and sweat a lot!

Two important things happen when you sweat. First, when you build up a good sweat, that’s a good way to know you’re working hard enough to reap some major heart-strengthening benefits. This type of cardiovascular workout is what keeps your heart and entire circulatory system healthy.

Also, as you get into better condition, you need to work harder to sweat. This ensures you are increasing the intensity of your workout as you get in better shape so you can continue to benefit. Secondly, by sweating, you are helping your body eliminate the toxins taken in from the environment and the chemicals you consume in the foods you eat.

It’s good news that when you sweat during a workout, you purge toxins, but you also lose some important minerals and you must replace lost fluids with pure water. If you are working out under hot conditions, you will need to hydrate yourself even more often to keep from suffering heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Outdoor hiking, jogging, street ball or a match of tennis are all activities where during the hot months you’ll need to pay extra attention to proper water intake.

What about those sports drinks? The commercials say that these products contain the electrolytes and minerals your body needs, which can be a plus. Unfortunately, most of them also contain a lot of sugar, artificial flavors and artificial colors. Use them sparingly, since water is all you really need, especially when you exercise in a gym or other temperature controlled environment. Always have pure water at hand during your cardio sessions. If your workouts do become more intense, you should be concerned about losing minerals.

Even a little bit of physical activity can provide health benefits, but if you want maximum improvements in your health, body composition and cardiovascular fitness, then I recommend exercising at least 45 minutes per day, no fewer than three days per week. More often is even better, but if you can only fit it in three times per week, make the workouts longer. Make sure you are working hard enough to sweat and then replace the lost fluids with plenty of water or an occasional sports drink with the least artificial ingredients. Do this and you will reduce your chances of all kinds of health problems considerably. And remember, as the US marines like to say, “No one ever drowned in sweat.