Running Low on Exercise?

We may be dazzled by those six-pack ab commercials on TV, and it sure looks like everyone and their mother jogs or goes to dancercise, but in reality we're becoming a nation of couch potatoes, a government survey shows.

Only three in 10 American adults exercise or are regularly physically active, the government says. And nearly four in 10 Americans don't do anything more strenuous than click the remote control to find something more interesting on TV.

The information is from an ongoing national survey that was redesigned to ask new kinds of questions on leisure-time activity, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The survery looked at the kind of activity people choose to do, and the questions were designed to learn about their physically active hobbies and leisure sports.

Only one in 10 exercise vigorously

After surveying more than 68,000 adults, NCHS says only about one fourth of American adults participate in what the government calls "light-moderate" activity every week.

"Light-moderate" is defined as physical activity most days of the week for a minimum of 30 minutes, or vigorous physical activity most days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. Vigorous activity increases heart rate and rate of breathing as well as sweating. Only about one in 10 Americans takes part in vigorous physical activity five times a week, and only 22 percent of Americans do some kind of strengthening exercise.

Regular exercise is a primary goal of the Surgeon General's 2010 National Health Objectives. People who are couch potatoes are a lot more prone to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, colon cancer, breast cancer and depression.

The demographics of exercise

Overall, men were more active than women. Nearly 65 percent of men took part in at least some leisure time activity, compared to 59 percent of women.

Not surprisingly, younger adults were a lot more active than senior citizens. Seven of 10 adults ages 18 to 24 participated in at least some physical activity, almost twice the percentage of adults 75 years and older.

But the socioeconomic differences in physical activity were the most striking. Being active was directly related to the amount of schooling you had. Adults with a graduate level college degree were almost twice as likely to be active than those with only a high school diploma.

The more money you made, the more likely you were to exercise. Adults with incomes four times the poverty level were significantly more likely to do "light-moderate" physical activity than those below the poverty level. And where you live in the United States also seems to influence what you do in your spare time. Two thirds of those in the West join in at least some leisure-time physical activity, compared to 56 percent of adults living in the South. Adults who live in the suburbs are more likely to be physically active than adults in center cities or rural areas.

Set aside 30 minutes, most days of the week

"Make a goal to get physically active. Doing that 30 minutes most days of the week could give you an enormous boost to your health and well-being. There's more and more evidence that any activity can make a difference. And you don't have to go from no activity to a half an hour a day, so that you feel the goal is unreachable. A little bit of activity can make a difference.

Making physical activity a regular part of your daily life can make you feel and look better, lower your risk of a heart attack, control your weight and blood pressure, and improve your bone density.

Here are 10 things you can do today to increase your heart rate and get you moving:

• Use the stairs, up and down, instead of an elevator or an escalator.

• Do yard work - rake leaves, mow grass, trim the hedges or get rid of those pesky weeds.

• Work up some sweat by getting to that spring cleaning you've been postponing.

• Go dancing.

• When you take your children to the park, run around with them, push them on the swings or throw them a ball. They'll love it, and you'll feel better.

• When you're at the office, take an activity break. Get up, stretch and walk around.

• Park a few blocks from the office or store, and walk the rest of the way.

• Take a walk after dinner instead of plopping down in front of the TV.

• Park at the back of the lot at the supermarket and carry your own groceries.

• Get up and change the channels on your television - get rid of the remote.

Focus on some kind of physical activity each day, or as many days as possible. Set yourself some goals - you don't have to start out with every day of the week; that's something you can work toward.

IMPORTANT: Before beginning any exercise or activity program, check with your doctor.

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External Sources The National Center for Health Statistics American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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