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The bar for what counts as physical activity seems to be pretty low. I haven't done anything that I would consider a physical activity in the last month but if
by danbruc 5y ago
The bar for what counts as physical activity seems to be pretty low. I haven't done anything that I would consider a physical activity in the last month but if walking 10 minutes to the grocery store once a month counts, then I am living an active life.
- SketchySeaBeast 5y ago> The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd editionexternal icon, recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. This can be broken into smaller amounts such as 22 minutes every day or 30 minutes/five times a week. Individuals and families are encouraged to build physical activity into their day by going for a brisk walk or a hike, walking the dog, choosing the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, parking further away in the parking lot and walking the rest of the way, walking or cycling to run errands, and getting off the bus one stop early and walking the rest of the way. The key is to move more and sit less. 10 minutes to the grocery store once a month does not count.
- rr808 5y agoThe study must use a different measure because there is no way that 75% of Americans do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity/week.
- SketchySeaBeast 5y agoYou're right - clicking in I found this question[1]: “During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise?” [1] https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/data/inactivity-prevalence-maps/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/data/inactivity-prevale...
- caeril 5y agoGolf? CDC should include billiards, bowling, and darts if their standard for "exercise" is that low.
- cecilpl2 5y agoI guess it really matters whether you are in a cart or not.
- pwthornton 5y agoGOLF! That counts as physical activity?! Most people doing weekend golf are getting golf carts. Others almost always have a caddy. I suppose walking the course while someone does the heavy listing is some degree of exercise, but they really need to clarify that in order for golf to be exercise you need to walk the course.
- SamReidHughes 5y agoSimply swinging a golf club during the round is a full-body exercise. You can't do a large bucket of balls at the range if you're out of shape -- you'll wear out first. Walking a course as a spectator, and playing with a caddy (to keep the comparison fair because you don't carry a bag either way), is a different physical experience. Also, most walkers in the golf world don't have a caddy. They're not available at most courses. Even quite a few private clubs with biiig membership fees don't have caddies. I just looked it up and a random link says 32% of private clubs have caddies. Of public courses, a few destination courses have them (Pebble Beach, Bandon, etc.).
- jcranmer 5y agoSuppose you work in a suburban office park with a decent-sized office park building. It might take you 5 minutes to walk from your car to your cubicle, and another 5 minutes from your cubicle to the cafeteria. That puts you at 20 minutes a workday of physical activity... add another daily trip to the cafeteria for coffee, and that would be the minimum threshold for physical activity.
- danbruc 5y agoBefore COVID and home office I used to walk to the office which must have taken somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes for 2.5 kilometres twice a day. But if someone had asked me for physical activity I would still have answered none.