30 MINUTES A DAY
In 1995 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) issued the recommendation that Americans should engage in at least 30 minutes each day of moderate exercise. “Thirty minutes of physical activity is across the board to all adults, every day of the week,” says Russell Pate, PhD, who is a professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. “There is enormous scientific information to support this.” However, according to a 2009 study led by Gary Bennett, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, fewer than half of all Americans meet the 1995 recommendations and that only a third know of the national recommendations despite more than a decade of publicity campaigns.

Moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day can greatly reduce the risk of chronic disease and health professionals say there is substantial research backing the 30-minute a day recommendation. “Physical activity is important for protecting against a large number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, even some cognitive disorders,” says Bennett. “So the physical activity recommendations are extremely important to help increase awareness among the American population about the amount of physical activity that is necessary to reduce the risk of developing these diseases.”

“Thirty minutes a day of moderate activity has a very significant health benefit,” says Catherine Jackson, professor and chair of the department of kinesiology at the California State University in Fresno and a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DOING MODERATE EXERCISE
Aerobic activity or “cardio” is any form of exercise that gets you breathing harder and your heart beating faster. From pushing a lawn mower, to taking a dance class, or just biking to the store, all types of activities count. The Centers for Disease Control puts moderate aerobic activity at a 5 or 6 on a 10 point scale where sitting is 0 and 10 is working as hard as you can. It will make you breathe harder and your heart beat faster. You’ll also notice that you’ll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song.

For most people, light daily activities such as shopping, cooking, or doing the laundry doesn’t count toward the guidelines because the body isn’t working hard enough to increase your heart rate.

GETTING STARTED IS EASY
Even something as simple as walking is a great way to get the aerobic activity you need, as long as it’s at a moderately intense pace. But whatever aerobic activity you choose be it walking, cycling, swimming, raking the yard, or playing basketball with the kids, make sure you’re getting at least the recommended 30 minutes each day. You can even break this down into three 10 minute or two 15 minute sessions. For example, you can take two 10 minute walks, one in the morning and one at lunch, then go for a 10 minute bike ride in the evening. Once you’re comfortable at that level, you may wish to increase the duration to 45 minutes or even a hour each day.

Related Articles:
Regular Exercise: Key to Good Health
Getting Active
Get Healthy with Aerobics
How Fit Are You

Tagged as: Chronic Disease and Prevention