Very Brief Workouts Count Toward 150-Minute Goal, New Guidelines Say

I’m 94. I do about 18-20 minutes exercise 6 days a week at home and see a gym trainer once a week weight training for around 25 years. At home I touch ankles 8 times, arms out straight 12 times left to right motion and deep knee bends 8 times and do both exercises twice. Lie on the floor with 5 pound weights in each hand and press upward 10 times doing 3 sets pausing between sets. Still lying down on my back, I do leg lifts 15 times slowly to feel motion in the spine. Followed by hands behind the head doing 12 pull ups. The foregoing are done 3 times each. Then I do 40 (forty) pushups followed by sitting for about 3 minutes to catch my breath. Then go to wash my hands and return to sit in a chair with the 5 pound weights and do 2 sets of 8 side lifts followed by 2 sets of 10 crunches. Followed by 5 minutes of jumping in place set to kitchen timer. Also am now a pesco/vegetarian for over 20 years. Breakfast 6 days a week comprises raw veggies, with half a banana, blueberries and a spoonful of peanut butter as a reward for being a good boy!

These health advisories are absolutely critical to one's life and well being and should form the cornerstone of their day. However, they always bring out, for too many, their most defiant and creative "excuses" juices. Oh well, have another sausage and answer that text.

Not PC but let’s talk about pre-existing condition of the 30% of our fellas who are obese and the subsidy we misguidedly provide for digging one’s own grave. Being a free country is one thing, making the sensible folk who control their diets and exercise bear the burden of the medical costs of those who aren’t seems like quite another. If eliminating the pre-existing condition sacred cow is off limits, how about an obesity tax? You can get a waiver proving your obesity is beyond your control but otherwise it’s $10/lb/mo.

Working out begins in the kitchen.

60 min a day 7 days a week is my guideline, with the intensity at different levels. The hardest is cross country skiing and steep hill climbs. In between is biking. The easiest is flat walks at a slower pace, and some go less than 60 min. Some go for 90 minutes. I occasionally mix in intense interval training, usually running up hill for internals of 30 seconds, but very fast. A sprint. So that is 420 minutes a week. But its a hobby. And ALWAYS out doors, even if its below freezing, or below zero, or raining. Like Eric pointed out, its much easier if you really like that. Good advice: Make this a hobby, no matter what you like to do.

It’s easy to get lots of exercise when it’s your hobby. For those of us who don’t have much free time or simply prefer to spend our leisure time on more leisurely pursuits, it’s hard enough just to meet the minimums. I just barely reach the minimum for aerobic exercise and the health benefits are very much worth the hassle but it definitely is a hassle.

I think the guidelines are too low. They have been in place for 10 years and meanwhile the obesity epidemic has only gotten worse. Some people are going to look at these guidelines and think, well, if I can manage to not be sitting for 25 minutes a day, perhaps by walking to and from the kitchen, then I will have exceeded the weekly exercise guidelines. The goal should not be to make the guidelines easy and inviting, but to make them realistic given what we know is required for good health. People are going to cheat on the guidelines, so we should not give them easy guidelines but hard guidelines. Then, even if they do cheat, they may have actually accomplished something.

"...such as brisk walking or other activities that raise people’s heart rates and breathing to the point that they can talk to a companion but cannot, should they be so inclined, sing." My platoon always sang while running miles in Basic. It seemed we were exercising sufficiently. Guess not.

I have asthma (have to be careful not to get out of breath), an autoimmune disease (not supposed to get overheated), and other health problems. Thanks so much for the sarcastic remarks about how easy it is for everyone to exercise if only they wanted to do it.

These guidelines won't change much with the current obesity rate in the US, between 22 and 38% depending on the State. People are too fat to exercise and if they do they probably will hurt themselves pretty quick. Without changing the diets of most people, it only will get worse. Another problem is also the car dependent set up of most cities. In most places it's really impossible to walk or bike to the store even if you want too.

I was just thinking that 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is 2.5 hours of the 168 hours in a week. That's not much, is it?

One of the best things you can do is work out every day. No matter how little you do or how feeble you are, just do something. I go to the gym every day and work out for 90 minutes, but I'm retired and have plenty of time. Even if you just made a habit of 15 minutes a day of serious exercise, that would be better than 90% of the population.

In other words, making love with your partner for 20min every day should be sufficient exercise. You dont even need to get out of bed!

150 mins a week? Shouldn’t that be a DAY?

Good article. Anything that gets people moving is good, but I wonder why the the photo editor used a picture that included two men shirtless while exercising. That's just showing off by the men. Always better to wear a shirt to catch perspiration.

These guidelines are still below what is recommended for weight control by expert medical scientists and below exercise standards from other European nations and Australia. The suggestions of using daily chores toward exercise time - better than no exercise, but not the best way to increase fitness. Daily chores are already part of life. The hardest is to add intentional exercise for exercise sake. My book "How to Make Yourself Exercise" helps people to overcome their exercise barriers. The psychology of creating a habit that lasts. (available on Amazon) https://goo.gl/XZPQuk

I usually enjoy the Comments section, but the Type-A condescension and self-congratulations hereabouts are annoying enough to drive me screaming from my seat. Say, can I count that toward my 150 minutes?

All the gym rats must be having a belly laugh. Especially all the fat ones, who really beat themselves up. All good recommendations in the JAMA publication. Net is use common sense especially as you age. Orthopedics really encourage busting your butt.

Above all, rake your leaves not blow them - and your neighbors will thank you too.

And you, too, once you get ripped, can run about in public shirtless. Go for it!

I have to say that some of the judgemental and really downright arrogant attitudes expressed here by people who work out a lot toward those they presume do not are not in the least helpful, and inhibit those who have been sedentary but want to start exercising from doing so in public. That sense at the gym or while out walking or running that one is being sneered at by those in better shape is confirmed! Crunch was onto something with the "judgement-free zone" concept. In my mid-20's I thought I "hated exercise" until my best friend virtually forced me to run with her just 30 minutes most mornings. Often I dreaded it, but then my addictive personality acknowledged that, dread it as I may before I start, I feel GREAT for the rest of the day afterwards. Endorphins and just an overall sense of accomplishment create a rush that can keep one going back. All the better if the exercise can be done outside (while not allowing oneself to think about others' possible snide thoughts). I still sometimes let myself slide into temporary sedentary-ness at times, but I inevitably feel lousy when I do. (Not to mention that my Pit-mix Naima is a much more chill girl when I take her for a long walk or jog--win/win!)

I'm sure scooters in every city will be a big help too.

And if you can’t sing at rest, do you still need the 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise?

Recommended by my integrative medicine MD, for a minimum daily dose: 30 seconds @ moderate pace/ can talk 30 seconds @ max pace/ can't talk (repeat 3 times) then, a 3 minute rest You repeat this whole cycle 3 times = 18 mins (or 15, if you don't count the final rest) Can be done while walking biking, hiking, jogging elliptical-- anything that gets your heart going,

The other day, I was in the elevator of my apartment building with my elderly neighbor who is in his late 80s. I noticed him press the button for the 5th floor, which he does not live on. I thought he was having the beginning of dementia. I kindly said "excuse me, I see you pressed 5 but you live on 9..." he replied "yes, I like to get off on that floor and take the stairs for the next 4 floors." I decided to copy him, and I'm in my forties.

if you apply for life insurance, you will pay more for having conditions which often can be controlled by exercise: high blood pressure, weight, etc. Not so with health insurance. The guy who weighs 300 lbs pays the exact same as I do and has no financil incentive to care about his health when he can pass the cost of his healthcare off to others.

Gym based exercise is efficient, but not always enjoyable. Any regimen where you will search for excuses isn't going to work. Finding a motion based activity that will increase your heart rate, move your large muscles, that you like and you don't want to skip will work. Of course, what I want to do on a daily (or at least almost daily) basis may or may not work for you. My preference is for 30 minutes a day of high intensity bicycling either outdoors (preference) or indoors on the trainer. My wife and I ride a tandem and do it together. That works for us and we miss the activity when we have to miss a day. We have friends who wouldn't ever ride a bike but love ballroom dancing and dance about an hour a day and they miss that when they can't. The bottom line is doing something you like is preferable to being efficient.

Starting and sticking to an exercise regimen is not easy for many people. It's great to have these guidelines but it would also help to address the practical and psychological factors. Knowing that all movement is good should help some people. Making small changes may be doable rather than aiming for an unrealistic goal (at least at first). Feeling like you don't have time or just can't do it can be overwhelming. "Just do it" may sell a lot of sneakers and work for some. For the rest of us changing our thinking and habits is hard. It's as much a mental issue as it is physical.

If the government were serious about child obesity, they would mandate that kids get an hour of recess a day. I remember 3 recess periods in the 1970s — and we were allowed to run wild. How much recess do they get now, 15 minutes once a day?

I have to say that some of the judgemental and really downright arrogant attitudes expressed here by people who work out a lot toward those they presume do not are not in the least helpful, and can inhibit those who have been sedentary but want to start exercising from doing so in public. That sense at the gym or while out walking or running that one is being sneered at by those in better shape is confirmed! Crunch was onto something with the "judgement-free zone" concept. In my mid-20's I thought I "hated exercise" until my best friend virtually forced me to run with her just 30 minutes most mornings. Often I dreaded it, but then my addictive personality acknowledged that, dread it as I may before I start, I feel GREAT for the rest of the day afterwards. Endorphins and just an overall sense of accomplishment create a rush that can keep one going back. All the better if the exercise can be done outside (while not allowing oneself to think about others' possible snide thoughts). I still sometimes let myself slide into temporary sedentary-ness, but I inevitably feel lousy when I do. (Not to mention that my Pit-mix Naima is a much more chill girl when I take her for a long walk or jog--win/win!)

I'm considering a new mandate: pairing my time spent reading the Times to time spent on the treadmill. I'll wind up with an hour plus of exercise every day - and even more during an election year!

What I’d like to know is how do you get it all in? This was easy when I was childless and single but fitting in exercise now is my greatest struggle. I hate hate hate waking up early, and my schedule changes all the time. By the way, it’s very condescending to say stop making excuses. It’s easy if your lifestyle allows for 600 minutes a week. I lived in a major East Coast city where I walked 15 minutes to the train and another 15 minutes to work after the train. Going back and forth, that’s an hour a day right there. Then walking all over the city on weekends was nice too. Could eat whatever I want without much thought. And there were no fast food restaurants so I ate well. Fast forward to now where I live in the Midwest and have a 30 minute drive each way and there are fast food places everywhere. If I work out after work I won’t get home until 7:30 and then I only see my kid for 45 minutes a day, and my spouse about an hour after that. Add elderly parents to the mix and it doesn’t get easier. And if I hear one more retiree brag about how they spend an hour a day at the gym....what else are you going to do? So you can take your “stop your excuses” argument and stuff it.

Gosh, exercise is so difficult, especially as we get older. For example, I’ll turn 75 in February. I cycle between 120 - 180 minutes a day, six days per week (roughly 7,000 - 7,500 miles per year). About 15 percent of that time is at 80% or more of my MHR. I still bike race (at a pretty high age group level) about 5-6 times per year. Also included are floor and core exercises every day, and strength workouts appx. 2-3 times per week. And, yes, I do have a family, a social life, and attend cultural events. It can be done, but you have to want to do it.

I swim a bit over 1/2-mile 4 times/week. It takes more than an hour to swim my 20 laps because I swim slower than other lap swimmers. My physician and competitive swimmers tell me slow is not a problem, that sustained exercise counts heavily. My joints thank me, and the peace and quiet of head under water is delightful, though sometimes I use my underwater iPod to listen to music or books.

The committee recommends "150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week, along with strength training twice a week." The committee is once again subordinating resistance training to aerobic exercise. Resistance training alone accomplishes all the intended goals of the committee without the time and joint wear associated with countless hours of repetitive foot strikes in jogging. (Weightlifting is good for your heart and it doesn't take much Date: November 13, 2018, Iowa State University)

"To the surprise of some scientists and other observers, these guidelines, which were published on Monday in JAMA, are broadly the same as the previous set." OK - why are they surprised and what changes had been expected? There appears to be little consensus outside of "get moving" and "stand up", that is, in the dimensions of duration, intensity, # of sessions, etc. and what the resulting changes to health status are. Or was that carefully couched in the supplemental information that nudged folks to do more volume and more intense work?

150 minutes is a pittance for someone who isn't disabled. Talk about setting the bar low. I am in no ways an elite athlete, have a family to go home to everyday, and work a desk job. I still get about 616 minutes a week about 150 of those vigorous.

"To the surprise of some scientists and other observers, these guidelines, which were published on Monday in JAMA, are broadly the same as the previous set." Okay - all you couch potatoes who constantly make the excuse that 'guidelines are always changing so can't be taken seriously' ... the probability that sitting in front of a screen your entire day will one day be found to be good for your health - is zero. Time to stop making excuses and get moving.