Most Americans Not Meeting Exercise Guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 20.6% of Americans are meeting the national guidelines for both aerobics and strength training. The current exercise guidelines recommend a minimum per week of 2.5 hours of moderate intensity aerobics in addition to a minimum of two days of muscle-strenghtening activities on all major muscle groups. The study showed that 51.6% of Americans are meeting only the aerobic guidelines while 29.3% of Americans are meeting only the strength training recommendations. Additionally, women, Hispanics, the elderly, and obese adults were less likely to follow the exercise recommendations. There were also variations based on state.

Regular activity has been shown to lower health risks, including controlling weight and decreasing depression and the onset of diabetes and heart disease. The results were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Don’t Go Food Shopping When You’re Hungry!

Evidence published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that shoppers who went to the grocery store on an empty stomach selected more high calorie foods than those shoppers who were more sated. Both sets of shoppers purchased a similar amount of food, but those who had been fasting for 5 hours chose many more high calorie products. The number of low calorie foods selected was the same. This may be related to increased brain activation in areas associated with reward.

Fast Food is Still Unhealthy

Despite the new food choices and attempt to offer healthier options at fast food restaurants, research shows that fast food is no healthier than it was 14 years ago.

Menus from 1997-1998 and 2009-2010 from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC, Arby’s Jack in the Box, and Dairy Queen were analyzed to evaluate the nutritional quality. Researchers used the US Dept of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index to determine the nutrient contents. The Healthy Eating Index has a maximum of 100 points. Based on the menu, the scores only modestly increased from 45-48 in that time period. Additionally, scores for milk and sodium decreased and were unchanged for fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. On a positive note, scores improved slightly for meat, saturated fat and calories from fat and sugar.

From the American Journal of Preventive Medicine