Physical Activity Guidelines Today

Having looked at the history of where exercise prescription came from, we now turn to evidence-based physical activity recommendations issued in the early 2000s.

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Heart Association (AHA)

In 2007, the ACSM and AHA published, ‘Physical Activity and the Public Health: Updated Recommendations for Adults’. This report states clearly that:

Healthy adults should perform moderate-intensity aerobic PA, for a minimum of 30 minutes duration, on five days each week or vigorous intensity aerobic exercise, for a minimum of 20 minutes, on three days each week.

In addition, at least twice each week, every adult should perform activities using the major muscles of the body that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance. Recommendations state that 8 to 10 exercises should be performed on non-consecutive days each week using the major muscle groups. To maximise strength development, a weight should be used that allows 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise resulting in volitional fatigue.

US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS)

The review suggests that all adults should avoid inactivity; that some physical activity is better than none, and that adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits.

• 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity.
• This aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably, it should be spread throughout the week.
• Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this amount.
• Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or of high-intensity and involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.

As a result, the new guidelines allow a person to accumulate 150 minutes a week in various ways.

Step-based recommendations

A common guideline used by many organisations is the number of steps per day an individual should take. The following table from Tudor-Locke et al. (2011) describes step-based recommendations from around the world. Although there is variation, 10,000 steps/day is generally used as a reasonable target for healthy adults.

Tudor-Locke et al (2011). (Click to expand)

Guidelines for Targeted Populations

Other guidelines are also available for targeted populations such as older adults, children and adolescents. These can be accessed in the links below.

• The ACSM & AHA (2007) target apparently healthy adults and older adults.
• The USDHHS (2008) target children and adolescents, adults, older adults, pregnancy and post partum, adults with disabilities, adults with medical conditions, and weight loss and maintenance.
• The WHO (2010) target 5-17 year-olds, 16-64 year-olds, and those over age 65.