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Fitness
Exercise! But How Much Do You Need to Get Healthier?
Recent studies suggest that it is probably less than you think.
7 min readJun 27, 2020
Wanna age gracefully? One of the most important prescriptions I can give you is to get regular physical activity. Still, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans gets the minimum recommended amount. If you are capable of doing so, aim for at least 2.5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercise each week. Examples of such activities include:
- Walking briskly
- Cycling
- Full-body strength workouts
Why should you be diligent about achieving such goals? You may reduce your risk of a myriad of health maladies. Here are some of the conditions for which you are reducing risk:
- hypertension
- heart disease
- stroke
- depression
- diabetes, type 2
- colon cancer
- breast cancer
- diminished cognitive function
But what if you are unable to achieve the minimum recommended amount of physical activity? Even if you are doing less, it is probably effective. This observation is the subject of my communication with you today.
