Most agree that physical activity is beneficial, but a large proportion of the global population, ranging from 40% to 80%, remains sedentary. Surveys in the United States (4) and the United Kingdom (5) showed that more than half of all adults failed to comply with the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (6), which recommends 30 min/day of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 min/week of vigorous-intensity exercise. The situation is worse in Asian countries, where up to 80% do not meet the guidelines (7). Although such low compliance with physical activity guidelines could be due to unawareness of the strong benefits of exercise, it is also possible that the standard is perceived as being too high, which could deter many people from even trying. Instead, establishing goals that can be attained with minimal effort becomes important.
Date:
2014-08-05
Relation:
Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2014 Aug 5;64(5):482-484.
