New Exercise Recommendations from WHO: No Rest For the Weary!

We all know how important exercise is for the heart, the brain and for a myriad of other reasons.

Recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its guidelines for exercise. Indeed, these are evidence-based public health recommendations.

Clearly a departure from the last set of guidelines in 2010, what is now recommended is 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise/week, 75-150 of vigorous exercise/week, or some combination of the two. The previously published guidelines recommended a total of 150 minutes/week. Thus, what we have now is a major upgrade.

Older adults, including those with chronic conditions and living with disability are not exempt from exercise. In fact, activities that emphasize functional balance and strength should be performed three or more days a week at moderate or greater intensity.

Exercise for children and adolescents was also upgraded. Now recommended is an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity throughout each week.

Also included were recommendations for pregnant and postpartum women who should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate- intensity aerobic activity per week.

Getting in the requisite amount and intensity of exercise in this era of COVID-19 and gym closures is clearly a challenge. Indeed, but some exercise is better than none, and more is definitely better! 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. This alone underscores the need for lifestyle alteration.

Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day; only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. Only 35-44% of adults 75 years or older are physically active, and only 28-34% of adults ages 65-74 are physically active.

Despite current challenges, we should all strive to maintain our physical well-being through diet and exercise. These new guidelines, which may seem unattainable to many, are a great reminder of what we need to achieve to obtain optimal health and wellness.

Further reading for those interested: an open source paper from The British Journal of Sports Medicine explaining the development of the guidelines: World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour