A lot has changed in health research over the past 10 years, and the latest report shows just how much. On Nov. 12, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAGA), 2nd Edition. The report is an update of the 1st Edition of the Guidelines which was published in 2008. Dr. William Haskell, a researcher for The Cooper Institute and professor emeritus at Stanford University, served on the scientific advisory committee for the report and helped shape the new guidelines. Show What counts as physical activity?Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. While many consider physical activity to be the same as exercise, the difference is that physical activity includes planned and structured exercise as well as unstructured activities like housework. For example, a planned, structured exercise session might be walking two miles in 27 minutes at a heart rate between 120 and 135 beats per minute. An unstructured activity might be raking leaves or mopping the floor. Both are examples of physical activity, but only one is considered exercise. As we all know, being physically active on a regular basis is one of the most important things that we can do to improve our health and prevent chronic disease. Unfortunately, it is one of the most ignored as approximately 80% of adolescents and adults do not perform even the minimum recommendations for physical activity. What Has Changed:Every minute counts. The 1st Edition stated that aerobic exercise had to be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes in order to count toward the minimum recommendation of 150 minutes per week. The most current evidence clearly shows that the total volume of physical activity is what’s important for health benefits. This is good news because it means that if you walk up a few flights of stairs in one minute, or take a three-minute walk at work, this now counts towards your 150-300 minutes per week. In other words, the 10-minute requirement no longer exists. Reap immediate benefits. We now know that a single bout of moderate to vigorous physical activity can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, improve brain function and sleep, reduce blood pressure, and improve insulin function on the day that the activity is performed. That means that taking a short walk can show immediate improvements in your mood, stress levels, blood pressure, and more. Improved health in younger children. Evidence now shows that physical activity can result in improved bone health and weight status for children three to five years old and improved cognitive function for youth six to 13 years old. Reduced cancer risk. In addition to a reduced risk of colon and breast cancer, there is now evidence that PA reduces the risk of cancer at additional sites. Focus on brain health. We now have convincing evidence that regular physical activity improves brain health. More specifically, physical activity improves the quality of life mostly through reduced risk of anxiety and depression and improved sleep. Fewer falls for elderly. Evidence now exists to show that physical activity results in a reduced risk of fall-related injuries for older adults. Easier pregnancies. For pregnant women, there is now evidence that physical activity results in a reduced risk of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression. During pregnancy and the post-partum period, women should perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Reduced mortality. For individuals with chronic medical conditions, physical activity results in a reduced risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality (death), as well as improved quality of life. Dangers of sitting. There is now a much stronger focus on reducing sedentary behaviors such as prolonged sitting. While there is no specific guideline in this regard, individuals are urged to break up sitting duration during the day. For example, you might choose to stand instead of sit during phone calls while at work and take short walking breaks throughout the day instead of sitting for long periods of time. What Hasn’t Changed:Children and adolescents ages six through 17 should perform 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Adults should strive for 150-300 minutes per week of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Additionally, adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week. Older adults should also include balance training to decrease the risk of falls. The talk test is the most practical way to determine the level of aerobic activity. When performing moderate-intensity aerobic activity, you should be able to talk, but not sing. When performing vigorous-intensity activity, you will generally not be able to say more than a few words at a time without pausing to take a breath. If your ability to carry on a conversation or sing is not affected, then your intensity levels are not high enough to count towards your weekly goal of 150-300 minutes. However, even light intensity exercise will result in some health benefits. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. SummaryThe scientific evidence for the health benefits of physical activity has significantly increased since the 1st Edition of the guidelines was published in 2008. Health and fitness professionals should make a strong effort to make their patients/clients aware of the many health benefits of physical activity, and provide guidance in this critical area. Reference Piercy, K.L., Trojano, R.P., Ballard, R.M., Carlson, S.A., Fulton, J.E., Galuska, D.A….Olson, R.D. (2018). The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854 Published online November 12, 2018. A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(March 2019) The first-ever empirically-based Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2008. These guidelines provided physical activity recommendations for people aged six years and older, including those with many chronic health conditions and disabilities. The science-based Guidelines recommend a total amount of physical activity per week to achieve a range of health benefits. In 2018, HHS released an update to the first set of guidelines. This 2018 edition provides guidelines for people aged three years and older and summarizes the new knowledge gained from studies that were conducted since the first edition was released in 2008.
These Guidelines can be tailored to meet individual interests, lifestyles, and goals. Recommendations in the Guidelines can be incorporated within daily routines and allow activities—like walking, biking, or dancing—to be integrated.
The main message is that regular physical activity over months and years can produce long-term health benefits and reduce the risk of many diseases. The second edition includes new evidence that shows physical activity also has many immediate health benefits such as reduced anxiety and blood pressure. The messages from the Physical Activity Guidelines are also found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which provide recommendations for healthy food choices and regular physical activity.
Health professionals and policymakers are the primary audiences for the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. However, the information is useful for anyone interested in improving the health of his/her community members and other individuals. HHS also produced a consumer friendly communications campaign, Move Your Way, which provides tools and resources for the public to help them meet the Guidelines.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are based on a comprehensive review of scientific research about physical activity and health.
HHS released an update to its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans in 2018, a decade after publishing its first set of guidelines.[1] The 2018 report linked the lack of physical activity to about $117 billion in annual healthcare costs and about 10% of premature mortality. While the 2008 edition gave recommendations for children from age 6 years onward, the 2018 edition includes guidelines for children aged 3 years and older.[2]
Aerobic: Most of the 60 minutes or more per day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous intensity physical activity on at least 3 days a week. Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week. Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week. Moderate activities are those such as riding a bike, brisk walking, and games that require catching and throwing. Vigorous activities are those such as running,; sports such as soccer, ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming, or tennis,; and active games requiring running and chasing, such as tag or flag football. Muscle- strengthening activities are games such as tug-of-war,; resistance exercises using bands, body weight, or hand held weights,; climbing a rope, tree, or wall;, and doing sit-ups. Bone -strengthening activities are games that involved hopping, skipping or jumping, and running. Adults
Moderate activities are those such as ballroom and line dancing, biking on level ground or with a few hills, general gardening, walking briskly, and water aerobics. Vigorous activities take more effort than moderate activities. Vigorous activities are those such as aerobic dance, biking faster than 10 miles per hour, heavy gardening, race walking, jogging, or running, and swimming fast or swimming laps. Muscle-strengthening activities should include all of the major muscle groups, such as legs, hips, back, chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms. The 2008 Guidelines indicated it was only beneficial to do at least 10 minutes of an activity at a time. The second edition removes this requirement that states that all moderate-to-vigorous physical activity counts. Older adultsThe key guidelines for adults also apply to older adults. In addition, the following key guidelines are just for older adults:
Pregnant and postpartum women
Adults with chronic health conditions or disabilities
Safe physical activityTo do physical activity safely and reduce risk of injuries and other adverse events, people should:
Related to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are Fundamental Movement Skills. As defined by the Department of Education: “fundamental movement skills are movement patterns that involve different body parts such as the legs, arms, trunk and head, and include such skills as running, hopping, catching, throwing, striking, and balancing. They are the foundation movements or precursor patterns to the more specialized, complex skills used in play, games, sports, dance, gymnastics, outdoor education and physical recreation activities[4]” Fundamental movement skills are broken up into three categories, including body management skills, loco motor skills, and object control skills.[4]
Impact on developmentThese skill sets are dubbed fundamental because they are crucial to many aspects of development. Physical development is a more obvious positive outcome from learning these skills, but perhaps less considered outcomes are social and mental development.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
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