Sneak peek at new fitness guidelines from feds

Most people know that being a couch potato is a bad idea, but are you aware of exercise options for preventing disease and maintaining good health? A federal physical activity guidelines advisory committee has reviewed the past 12 years of evidence on the importance of exercise and how to best fit it into our lives. Based on the analysis, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to publish updated exercise guidelines for all Americans later this year.

"Our review documents very strong scientific evidence that physically active people have higher levels of health-related fitness, a lower risk of developing a number of disabling medical conditions and lower rates of various chronic diseases than people who are inactive," says William Haskell, chairman of the committee.

Let's sneak a peak at the committee's findings.

Benefits of exercise

The committee found that physically active people have a lower risk for many of the nation's top killers. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, depression, colon and breast cancer, as well as death from all causes combined.

Other benefits consist of greater physical fitness, stronger muscles and bones, less fatigue and more stamina, healthier weight, more lean muscle, less body fat, and better cholesterol and blood sugar levels. There is also evidence that exercise can improve sleep and quality of life.

Specific effects for certain groups of people are as follows:

Overweight adults: Some benefits of exercise occur without regard to weight loss. So adults of all sizes and shapes can boost their level of health and fitness when they become more physically active.

Pregnant women: Moderate-intensity exercise improves physical fitness and metabolic measures like cholesterol and blood sugar without increasing the risk of a miscarriage or premature delivery.

Older adults: Physical activity is associated with greater functional ability, less chance of falling and improved thinking skills. For fall prevention, help may come from strength- and balance-training exercises or tai chi.

Patterns of activity

Many improvements come within weeks to a few months of increasing exercise. Just how, exactly, can you make use of your available time to reap the most benefits?

In general, the committee advocates 30 to 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity on five or more days of the week. The shorter duration (30 minutes) helps lower the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and death from all causes. The longer duration (60 minutes) appears to have additional benefits, reducing unhealthy weight gain and the rate of colon or breast cancer. Greater health improvements are also seen with more vigorous exercise, according to some studies.

Strength-training exercises were advised on two or more days each week. For each exercise, one set of 8 to 12 repetitions, performed to fatigue, was deemed effective, though two or three sets may be even better.

And for children, research supports getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity nearly every day.

Safety concerns

Gradually increasing activities reduces the chance of developing a sports injury or sudden heart problem during exercise, the committee reported.

For more information: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov.

Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at doctor@practicalprevention.com. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.

© 2008 Elizabeth S. Smoots