For years, doctors and medical groups have told Americans that 150 minutes per week of “moderate-intensity” exercise is the sweet spot for maximizing health and longevity. This recommendation, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes as ideal on its website and literature, equates to about 5 half-hour workouts per week. The reason more exercise than this is not often reported is because, unlike some activities, the relationship between exercise and health benefits did not appear to scale linearly.
Now, a major new study casts doubt on that suggested figure. In fact, it turns out that doing twice as much exercise can have a number of health benefits. This suggests that millions of us who are moderately active and following the exercise wisdom of our doctors may want to consider doubling (or more) our weekly exercise time to live longer and be healthier.
In the recent study, which was published in the scientific journal Circulation, scientists analyzed a sample size of more than 116,000 American adults divided into two cohorts. The researchers analyzed self-reported leisure-time physical activity as scientists followed up with cohort members over a 30-year period (1988 to 2018). Within this group, more than 47,000 died, while the rest endured a wide range of health conditions within this period.
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As they discovered, an important factor in determining how much you should exercise is the rigor of the exercise in question. As of 2018, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended a minimum of 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate physical activity and 75 to 150 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity. If that already sounds strenuous, guess what? You should double it, or, except, put “an equivalent combination of both”.
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“Nearly maximal association with lower mortality was achieved with exercise [approximately] 150 to 300 minutes per week of long-term free time [vigorous physical activity]from 300 to 600 [minutes] per week of long-term free time [moderate physical activity]or an equivalent combination of both,” the study authors conclude.
The study is comprehensive enough to be taken seriously, the scientists say. Fitness expert Daniel E. Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, described the study in a Salon write-up as “excellent” and added that “the results make total sense.”
“[Fifty] minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity has been established as the standard minimum recommendation, but the word “minimum” is often left out of the conversation, and few studies have ever argued that additional physical activity, especially l ‘vigorous physical activity – was not more beneficial,’ Lieberman explained. ‘The question has always been how much more and what intensity produces what degree of benefit. This study provides excellent evidence to reinforce the evidence that more than 150 minutes has benefits, especially when vigorous.”
Referring to his own recent book “Exercised,” Lieberman added that the study “also reinforces other evidence that concerns about exercising too much are overblown.”
The news may be a bit discouraging for people who have repeatedly tried to lose weight and found it difficult to keep the pounds off. The scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests that it is difficult for most people to lose weight and keep it off, and that this difficulty can frustrate people who want to be healthier. However, even if the weight doesn’t come off as quickly or as significantly as you’d like, your health will benefit greatly just by improving your diet and exercise habits.
“This study provides excellent evidence to reinforce the evidence that more than 150 minutes [per week] it has benefits, especially when vigorous.”
Lieberman made a similar point.
“What all these studies show is that some exercise is always better than none, that eventually the benefits level out, and that mixing it up is also beneficial,” Lieberman noted. “Moderate aerobic activity is the foundation of every exercise regimen, but some degree of strength training is important, especially as we age, and some vigorous physical activity is almost always beneficial for those who they can safely tolerate it.” In addition, the situation is complicated by “many factors such as age, sex, fitness, state of health, history of physical activity, etc.
However, one thing is indisputable: if you focus on being healthy, there are unlikely to be any downsides.
“I would remind readers that this study (like so many) only looks at lifespan, not health,” Lieberman explained. “Physical activity has stronger effects on health expectancy than on life expectancy. In other words, what physical activity actually does is reduce vulnerability to a wide range of diseases, thereby increasing health expectancy and therefore life (as well as quality of life). I think we need to be more concerned about health.”
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