There are six different physical activity guidelines for adults and as many different organizations/agencies making these recommendations including the ACSM, CDC, USDHHS, Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the USDA. Categorizing guidelines by their intended outcomes elicits three general categories: health, fitness, and weight loss/weight maintenance. In general, health benefits from physical activity can be attained with the least amount of effort (i.e., accumulating 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily), whereas fitness improvements and weight loss/weight maintenance require additional effort in the form of intensity (i.e., moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and/or duration (i.e., time). Weight loss/weight maintenance guidelines are more complex because energy intake must be considered. Armed with the understanding of clients' goals, health professionals and physical educators should be able to clearly convey appropriate physical activity guidelines. Alleviating the current confusion surrounding physical activity recommendations is the responsibility of health and physical education professionals.