Sunday, May 5, 2013

CDC: 80 percent of American adults don't get recommended exercise


Have you gotten your fill of exercise this week? If you're an adult living in the United States, a safe guess would be no.
A new government study estimates that nearly 80 percent of adult Americans do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week, potentially setting themselves up for years of health problems.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed survey data collected from more than 450,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older who were randomly phoned across all 50 states.
They were asked how often they engaged in aerobic physical activity outside of their jobs and for how long.
The U.S. government recommends adults get at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both. Adults should also engage in muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights or doing push-ups at least twice per week.

Get up! 6 ways to boost your health by sitting less

Physical inactivity can lead to obesity and Type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC, while exercise can help control weight, and reduce the risk for developing heart disease and some cancers, while providing mental health benefits.


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