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Exercise as medicine.

Article Excerpt
Exercise as medicine

In the 19th century, most work involved physical activity; in the 20th century, exercise became a leisure pursuit; today, it's an urgent medical necessity.

Exercise: It's cheap, readily available, and the single most effective step nonsmokers can take to avoid chronic and potentially fatal diseases. If it were being hawked on late-night television, you'd think the phone lines would be tied up for hours.

But regular physical activity remains a hard sell. Despite mounting evidence that it lowers the risk for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and many forms of cancer, the average citizen is increasingly sedentary. Still, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) isn't giving up on us. In 2007, the agency convened an expert committee to evaluate a decade of scientific evidence on the benefits of physical activity. Committee member Dr. I-Min Lee, who also serves on the Harvard Women's Health Watch advisory board, said she and her colleagues found an "impressive range of health benefits coming from being physically active." They submitted their findings, and in the fall of 2008, the government issued a detailed exercise prescription for the nation.

Amount of weekly physical activity recommended for adults

Type of activity

Amount of activity each week

Aerobic

At least 2 hours 30 minutes, if you choose moderate-level activities.

At least 1 hour 15 minutes, if you choose vigorous activities.

Do at least 10 minutes at a time; you can combine moderate and vigorous activities. Build slowly; aim for twice the amount of activity indicated here.

Strengthening

Do muscle-strengthening exercise on at least 2 days.

Source: Adapted from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans," available at www.health.gov/PAGuidelines.

The ground rules

The "2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans" (www.health.gov/PAGuidelines) are more extensive than those of most other health organizations, and more...

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