Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
True or False: Only 1 in 4 American adults receives the recommended amount of physical activity daily? Check out the blog to learn the answer!
Answer: False. But sadly, the true statistic is marginally better. Only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity daily. The same statistic is true for children, which is even more sad. Perhaps this inactivity does start from a young age, as only six states (Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Vermont) require physical activity in every grade (K-12). Not to mention, children nowadays spend an average of 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen. I don’t know about you know, but these numbers are certainly alarming to me!
Most of us understand that physically active individuals are healthier and less likely to develop chronic diseases. What many of us don’t know is exactly how much physical activity we should be performing in order to meet the minimum standard. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, first published by the federal government in 2008, emphasizes a prevention-oriented society with goals to educate Americans on physical activity recommendations, to motivate Americans to become physically active, and to promote wellness and healthy lifestyle choices.
To no surprise, research supports the notion that regular physical activity reduces the risk of many adverse health outcomes. While it is certainly true that some exercise is better than none, I think we can all agree that exercise is not usually the type of situation in which “less is more”. Studies have shown that additional benefits do occur as one’s amount of physical activity increases. Most health benefits require 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity. This should be comprised of both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities, as each type of movement offers different benefits.
As for the specifics of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, here’s what they say:
- Aerobic: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (usually, this is broken down into 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week) OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week.
- Muscle-Strengthening: Resistance exercises should involve all major muscle groups (i.e., legs, hips, back, chest, abdominals, shoulders, arms) and should be conducted a minimum of 2+ days per week.
- For additional health benefits: 300 minutes moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week OR 150 minutes vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week.
As someone who doesn’t exactly LOVEEE aerobic exercise (from an enjoyment standpoint), I construct and complete my muscle-strengthening workouts in a way that satisfies both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening requirements. If you would like help structuring your workouts in this manner, please reach out- I would love to assist you!
