Small Increase in Physical Activity Counts!
Whether Once a Day or Once a Week, Any Exercise Still Counts Against Cardiovascular Disease including AFIB, Heart Attack, Stroke, and Heart Failure.
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition, indicates that adults should move more and sit less throughout the day, and that some activity is better than none because adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. Thus, an important takeaway from the guidelines is that a range of health benefits can be obtained across the entire continuum of physical activity. And while attaining between 150 and 300 minutes per week (21 to 43 minutes per day) of moderate activity is the sweet spot that balances engagement with optimizing health benefits, health benefits can be obtained at lower levels of activity. This is especially important for older adults and adults with chronic conditions or disabilities. While the key guidelines apply across the spectrum of adulthood, older adults and those with chronic conditions or disabilities also realize numerous health benefits and should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow, and they should avoid inactivity.
US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 2nd ed. US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2018.
Katzmarzyk PT and Jakicic JM “Physical activity for health — every minute counts” JAMA 2023; DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.11014.
