The Center for Disease Control and Prevention have compared their findings of surveys conducted between 1997 and 2015 and it’s exciting news: more Americans than ever are exercising in their leisure time and meeting the minimum exercise standard set by the government.
Data taken from a survey in 2006 reflects that only 41% of Americans exercised in their leisure time, which means that 2015’s result of 50% is a shift in the right direction.
The study took into account age, demographics, obesity and alcohol and tobacco usage, and proved that Americans are prioritizing their health more than ever during their leisure time.
What is the Recommended Amount?
Government has set a minimum standard of sufficient exercise per week, which is:
- 2 Hours 30 Minutes of Moderately Intense Exercise OR
- 1 Hour 15 Minutes of Vigorous Exercise OR
- A Combination of the Two AND
- Recommends doing at least 10 minutes of exercise at a time, spread out over the course of the week.
Vigorous exercise is loosely understood as not being able to hold a conversation during activity, because your breathing will be heavy and your heart rate will be high. This type of exercise is known as anaerobic exercise, and targets 70-95% of your maximum heart rate, which can be calculated roughly by subtracting your age from 220.
For example, if you are 30 years old:
220-30= 190 Maximum Heart Rate X 90% = 171 beats per minute.
Moderate exercise includes activities such as brisk walking, golfing, jogging, dancing, swimming and doing household chores. This is known as aerobic, fat burning exercise, and targets 50-69% of your maximum heart rate.
For example, if you are 40 years old:
220-40= 180 Maximum Heart Rate X 69% = 124 beats per minute.
Both forms of exercise should get you to break a sweat, which is the marker that your health is profiting from your efforts.
Other CDC Results:
The survey completed by CDC has proven that 60% of adults between the age of 18-24 get sufficient exercise, but that only 30% of adults over the age of 75 meet the minimum standard.
It also reflected that men, in general, take up more leisure time activity, with 53% of men versus 47% of women meeting their needs for physical activity.
Demographic results showed that 53% White, 44% Hispanic and 44% Black Americans got enough exercise per week, but notes that only leisure time activity was recorded, which could lead to a slight underestimation.
Additional Trending Results:
Because the study included the survey of obesity and alcohol and tobacco consumption, we are able to learn that:
- In 1997 the obesity rate was at 19% of the population, and in 2015 it has increased to 31%, which is a cause for concern
- The percentage of smokers has decreased from 25% to 15% since 1997, which is excellent news
What Can We Learn?
Exercise is important for our health, and while it’s excellent news that there’s an increase in how many adults are meeting the minimum standard, it’s still a concern that only half are doing so.
You need to ensure that you at least meet the minimum standard of activity per week, set as a government recommendation for maintaining a healthy, happy body. By making time and prioritizing physical activity as part of your busy day, you will be preventing disease, improving your composition, destroying excess fat and eliminating toxins.
To meet the standard you’ll need to get only 30 minutes of walking per day 5 days a week, which is easy enough to do: make time, and give yourself the gift of good health.
Sources:
http://healthyhubb.com/10-exciting-health-benefits-exercise/
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/earlyrelease201602_07.pdf
More Posts By Author Sophie Robinson.
