New Exercise Guidelines Released in the US
By Paul Rogers
Pic by Abraaj
New physical activity guidelines have just been released by the US Department of Health and Human Services. As they report 25.6% of adults in the US are medically obese — that’s a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 — there is an air of slight panic about this latest announcement. Here are the new adult guidelines, which include a few changes from previous guidelines.
- Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week.
- Additional health benefits are provided by increasing to 5 hours (300 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
- Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups performed on 2 or more days per week.
For more information, the physical activity guidelines site has much more information, including useful suggestions for people not used to exercise, and background information for professionals in the fitness sciences.
Physical activity is not all about losing weight — health advantages can accrue in the absence of weight loss – yet unless obese people can be trained or persuaded to cut calorie intake, getting the fat off will continue to be a struggle.
Tim Russert’s Heart Attack - What Went Wrong?
By Paul RogersAccording to a New York Times article, Tim Russert, the well-known NBC news and current affairs television journalist who suffered a fatal heart attack, did not have any prior warning even though he did have some ominous signs in his cardiovascular risk profile.
The essence of many articles about Tim Russert since his death have emphasized his compliance with doctors’ recommendation and prescription — exercise, lower cholesterol, lose weight, healthy diet and so on. How could someone, presumably doing the right things, still have a fatal heart attack?
The New York Times article points out that even allowing for these positive things, he was quite overweight and had low high-density cholesterol and high blood triglycerides. This constellation of measures is known to some practitioners as the “metabolic syndrome”, although not all recognize this term or if it is a syndrome at all. Either way, it means greater risk of a heart attack.
Waist Circumference and BMI
It’s risky business when you’re over 40 and have these markers of cardiovascular risk. And there are no guarantees that technology can reduce your risk to zero. Even people with very low risk markers still fall over dead with sudden heart attacks. It’s all about numbers, percentages and how you improve your chances.
Getting that waist to below 38 inches or 95 centimetres for men, and 32 inches or 80 centimetres for women, is a good place to start. Alternatively, a waist to hip ratio of 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women, or less, is also a good guide to healthy weight. Divide your hip measurement at the widest by your waist measurement at the narrowest, usually around the naval.
The body mass index (BMI) scale is less useful because it gets distorted for relevance by how much muscle you carry. Bodybuilders, weightlifters and athletes are often unfairly placed in the overweight categories, which are at BMI 26 or more. BMI can be measured by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.
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