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The most daunting question
regarding fitness is calculating how long to exercise. From
the United States Surgeon General to the Institution of Medicine,
there is a 30-minute discrepancy. In recent health news, the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report recommending that
adults spend at least an hour of moderate to intense physical
activity. For example a daily brisk walk is twice the minimum
goal of the 30 minutes recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General.
The original health recommendation
was based on the research that found 30 minutes of physical
activity sufficient enough to reduce the risk of chronic diseases;
such as diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer. The latest
report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) heightened the exercise
bar after finding that 30 minutes of activity five to six days
a week would be insufficient to enable a target weight for the
majority of the population – with the maximized health benefit.
In essence, recent theories
suggest that Americans are consuming excessively more calories
than they are burning. The recent exercise recommendations strive
to balance the excess in caloric intake. Nonetheless, fitness
programs are subjective. Weight is contingent upon several factors:
age, height, and weight, current level of daily activity, and
caloric intake. Not to mention, the span of time each person
exercises depends on the type of physical activities one engages
in.
A
case and point of the exercise guidelines is applicable to a
person who walks three to fives miles a day. In order to burn
adequate calories, an hour of walking time is necessary for
weight loss. However, if a person runs or jogs, the high intensity
of the work-out can be accomplished in 20 to 30 minutes a day
most days of the week.
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