Physical Activity in the United States: Current Data and How to Promote Longevity

All of us should exercise with 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, at least 5 to 7 days per week.¹ In a previous commentary, I discussed how this exercise pattern should be supplemented by an increase in daily lifestyle activities (eg, walking breaks at work, gardening, or household work) to improve our cardiorespiratory fitness:

The US Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published data from the National Health Interview Survey.³ In 2020, only 24.2% of adults aged 18 years and older met the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. The percentage of adults who met both physical activity guidelines was slightly higher in men (28.3%) than women (20.4%). These numbers decreased with age for both genders.  Furthermore, Hispanic men were the least likely and non-Hispanic White women the most likely to meet both guidelines. Adults with family income of 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL) or more were the most likely to meet both guidelines as compared to <200% of FPL.  All health care personnel need to advise patients to exercise on a regular basis by building into the patient’s daily routine. 

So, what type of exercise provides the greatest benefit for our time and output? Research indicates that your ability to increase the amount of aerobic fitness and sustain it up to 3 to 5 times the minimum recommended amount can maximize your longevity.⁴ Exercising with moderate exercise, each week to just over one hour every day will meet the results of the study above.

“In middle age, a strong indicator of longevity is a high uptake of oxygen, and muscle mass is an extremely foretelling component when it comes to growing older,” writes Alexa Mellardo.⁴

In a randomized controlled trial,⁵ researchers studied the effect of different exercise routines on mortality in 1567 individuals in their seventies. Over 5 years, group 1 practiced high-intensity interval training (HIIT) twice weekly, group 2 performed moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) twice weekly, and group 3 adhered to Norway’s national guidelines for physical activity. All-cause mortality rates were lowest in group 1, suggesting HIIT increased aerobic fitness more than MICT and guideline-recommended exercise.

We should recommend to our patients that they monitor their workouts and fitness with their health care provider on a regular basis to determine the need to change exercise routines to garner greater longevity.

References:

1. Chmelo EA, Crotts CI, Newman JC, et al. Heterogeneity of physical function responses to exercise training in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;63(3):462-469. doi:10.1111/jgs.13322
2. Wisløff U, Bye A, Stølen T, et al. Blunted cardiomyocyte remodeling response in exercise-resistant rats. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;65(13):1378-1380. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.01.041
3. Elgaddal N, Kramarow EA, Reuben C. Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020. National Center for Health Statistics; 2020. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:120213
4. Mallardo A. The best workout to slow aging and promote longevity, science reveals. Eat This, Not That. August 29, 2022. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://www.eatthis.com/the-1-workout-to-slow-aging-and-promote-longevity/ 
5. Stensvold D, Viken H, Steinshamn SL, et al. Effect of exercise training for five years on all cause mortality in older adults—the Generation 100 study: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2020;371:m3485. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3485