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Why Physical Activity

Fact No. 1: Fit, healthy persons get that way because of their lifestyle, not their genes.

Fact No. 2: Healthy employees get more work done, have less absenteeism and help to bring down the cost of an employer’s health care insurance premiums.

Everyone benefits from regular physical activity, no matter if it’s moderate physical activity or vigorous exercise. The biggest health benefits come from just a small increase in activity, as little as 500 calories burned per week. A ten-minute walk a day can translate into dramatic reductions in risks for heart attacks and other health problems.

Listed below are excerpts from research on the advantages of short bouts of physical activity.

It is recommended that individuals engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes at least five days per week. Taking a brisk, 10-minute walk three times a day is an excellent way to meet this goal. However, even just taking one of these 10-minute walks each day can provide enormous health benefits. (CDC, 2001)
Women who engaged in the equivalent of 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking had an 18 percent decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. (JAMA, 2003)
Spending only 60 to 90 minutes a week exercising reduces high blood pressure. (AJH, 2003)
Studies have shown that decreased rates of coronary heart disease and premature mortality begin to occur at even lower levels - perhaps at one to two hours per week of moderate intensity leisure time activity. (JAMA, 2003)
New exercisers are more likely to stick to a fitness regimen when it's broken into ten-minute bouts. Study suggested that short bouts of exercise offered weight loss and fitness benefits comparable to those achieved in longer sessions. (JAMA, 1999)
A 1999 study of more than 800 residents of Kings County, WA, showed dramatic health benefits among those who gardened or walked for just an hour a week. Although that adds up to only about 400 to 500 calories, the increased activity translated into about a 70% lower risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest.
According to the DREW (Dose Exercise Response in Women) study, only 72 minutes of exercise per week had the most significant impact on one’s overall fitness level. (JAMA, 2007)
It only took fifteen minutes to get overweight adults with diabetes to exercise more and begin to lose weight. Patients in the intervention group were six times more likely to increase their activity levels than those in the control group, and about twice as likely to lose more than 5 percent of their body weight. (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2008)

In trying to address the millions of Americans suffering from chronic illnesses, many national and international health organizations have made a commitment to getting people active. To date, progress is limited as is evident from the 60 percent increase in obese and overweight adults during the last decade. This serious epidemic has resulted in an economic toll of an estimated $69 - $117 billion/year spent on direct medical costs, with 58 million days of work lost annually.