This past Monday (Nov. 12, 2018) was a big day for us nerdy researchers. The department of The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) published the latest guidelines for physical activity for US adults!
Anyone celebrating with a couple pushups?!?!
Why is this a big deal?
Because most guidelines come out every 10 years.
And these guidelines are only the second edition…
Which is surprising if you think about it. We have become so familiar with the 10,000 step recommendation—as common as the iPhone—that only 20 years ago there were NO recommendations for ANYONE to follow at all. Ever.
…well at least “officially” and supported by our government.
Here are a few basics about the physical activity guidelines:
- Who distributes them: The United States Government and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (links below on health.gov website)
- How are they created: Experts, who do research on health and exercise, review the latest evidence since the 1st edition physical activity guidelines were published in 2008
- Who are the guidelines for: All age groups in the United States
- When was the 2nd edition published: November 12, 2018
- When will the next set of guidelines come out: Probably in 2028
The biggest question is: What are the NEW guidelines and what do they mean?
The physical activity guidelines are general rules that we should follow to produce the best long-term health outcomes. Being physically active is a good idea if you are interested in increasing the odds of a healthier life down the road.
Following guidelines are a not guarantee, but something.
Being physically active is all about risk management
In general, the more physical activity we engage in throughout our days and lives, the more we:
- Reduce the risk of the bad stuff: heart diseases, cancers
- Increase the risk for the good stuff: more energy, mood, cognition, strength, and conditions.
The long-winded guidelines are linked below, but here I am going to give you the quick and dirty version:
The Second Edition Physical Activity Guidelines are:
Well to start, if you are less than 3 years old, and reading this blog, then you are off the hook! But keep up your play, limit your bean bag time, and get off this screen!
You need to play when you are young…
3-5 years old: Play 3 hours every day
Play with your kids. Every day. All the time. It’s good for everyone.
You need to move as a young adult…
6-17 years old: Exercise 60 minutes daily, do muscle-building and bone-strengthening exercise 2x/week
Still play with your kids, and put them in sports or recreation programs every season.
We need run, jump, and lift into adulthood…
Adults: Move more and sit less, Workout 2.5-5 hours per week—-workout time is less if your train harder exercises, and the often lost recommendations…do muscle-building exercise 2 times per week
I couldn’t be more excited to see the official “move more and sit less” verbiage in the new guidelines! Although there are no quantified guidelines (ex. sit less than 2 hours a day), this update is encouraging. Hopefully, this will be updated in 2028.
But for the sake of sitting, please do not sit around for the next 10 years waiting for an official update. Move people!
(In the meantime, read this blog: Should I stand all day?)
We need to keep exercising as we age…
Older Adults: Do a combination of everything, do what you can.
We need to keep exercising when we are pregnant…
Pregnant Women: No breaks here. 2.5 hours per week during pregnancy, consult with your doctor if you are unsure what to do.
Have a strong heart for delivery!
We need to keep exercising when with disease or disabilities…
Chronic health conditions or disabilities: 2.5 hours per week like everyone else, if you are unsure what to do, consult your doctor.
New This Time ‘Round…
Those are the basics of the second edition. Compared to the 1st edition, the new updates for the 2nd edition were:
- There were no 3-5 year-old guidelines before
- The “Move More and Sit Less” guideline is new for adults (I think it should probably be added to kids by the 3rd edition)
- In the fine print, researchers have data this time ‘round which shows that physical activity benefits cognition, reduces 8 forms of cancer, reduces injuries from falls, decreases postpartum depression, reduces the risk of excessive weight gain, and improves mental health conditions.
Overall, there is nothing too new or surprising about these guidelines.
The new and simple takeaway in less than 20 words:
All kids need to play more, adults should sit less, exercise benefits more stuff
(Because 10 more years of fancy research told us so!)
What will be different now?
Well, in the short term, we are going to see a big uptick in blogs posts mentioned the new updates, like this one—except others will be boring to read…believe me, I read 5-6 blogs on the new guidelines already, their writing is so dull, share this blog to those feeds.
Whether blogs turn into action is another issue.
The task now goes to communities, schools, and organizations to use their resources and integrate these updated physical activity guidelines. And if they haven’t already, it’s time to start from scratch. Don’t let 2028 come without any action.
Work for an organization that wants to make a different? I would be glad to help!
The clickable resources:
To read the verbatim guidelines and download their fun media posters, go to these places:
Physical Activity Guidelines “Home Page”
2nd Edition Physical Activity Guidelines – link to PDF
Physical Activity Scientific Report (for researchers) – link to PDF
Physical Activity Guidelines Executive Summary – link to PDF
“Move Your Way” – The health campaign with posters for each demographic—very cool posters that I really like.
They do have a couple of neat tools…
This lets you plan out your weekly physical activity:
…and a planner to help parents figure out physical activity levels for their kids:
The behavioral challenge that we all face
This is the fact: health outcomes are delayed and uncertain.
Meaning = exercising takes a long time to see the benefits if any.
As humans, it feels better knowing that what we do produces a certain outcome. I go to work for a couple weeks and get paid. I email my coworker and get a reply (most days) by the morning coffee break. I workout for 30 years and don’t get sick, right? RIGHT?!?!
We may run, skip, and lift our way into our 50’s but still get bone cancer. Just like how Uncle Earl smoked and never got lung cancer.
Recommendations are based on large data sets that say,
“Hey you, Miss Average American! Do these minimum things because they are good for most people!”
There are exceptions to the rule, you or I could be one of them…and Uncle Earl.
This should not discourage us. It is a fact of following any type of guideline based on research.
It’s all a probability. And we hope, that the activities we engage in, give us the BEST probabilities…
Go play, move, and have fun!
Physical activity and exercise should be fun and give the opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, and see new places.
If not, then it doesn’t matter what your long-term health consequences end up being.
Keep moving,
Nick
