How Much Exercise Is Enough?

For 10 years, the American College of Sports Medicine has been trying to convince a sedentary public that exercise is medicine, as good for what ails us as over-the-counter or prescription pills.

What began as a national campaign morphed into a global initiative, with the goal of getting physicians to prescribe exercise to their patients and suggest that they get “physical activity counseling.”

But although the association between exercise and health is widely accepted, there seems to be no consensus on how much physical activity we need for optimal health. The World Health Organization recommends 2½ hours a week. A study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last year recommended five times that amount. And now there’s recent research suggesting that people who exercise only on weekends can reap significant health benefits.

While the studies seem contradictory, they have one thing in common: They conclude the more exercise you do, the healthier you’ll be – up to a point.

Finding that sweet spot can greatly reduce the chance that of getting one of five common diseases. But for those currently unable to run six hours or swim eight hours a week, the new findings on “weekend warriors” will at least encourage you to do what you can for the time being. But be careful – occasional exercise comes with its own set of risks.

Attention, weekend warriors

The “weekend warrior” study published Jan. 9 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine has gotten lots of buzz for its promise of longer life with sporadic effort. The authors said that weekend-only exercise and “insufficient activity” patterns can cut mortality by 30 percent.

“Many midlife people with active family lives and burgeoning careers find it difficult to make time for regular workouts. As a result, fitness advocates often encourage a small-steps approach to exercise,” wrote Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, in The Washington Post.

“Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the time to train for a half- marathon, they advise. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Anything is better than nothing.

Source
Athletic Business