Many Americans Prefer Shorter, Solo Exercises; But Do They Even Exercise Once A Week?
As our workdays grow longer, responsibilities increase and our bodies become tired. Exercise becomes that thing we know we should do, but simply have no time left to do. But according to a new survey by the watch company Timex, many Americans are somehow finding time to exercise. How do they do it? By sticking to what’s short and what they can do alone.
About 1,200 adults, ages 24 to 44, responded to a survey about their exercise habits. Of them, 75 percent reported exercising at least once a week and 77 percent said that they exercised alone. Sixty-one percent also said that they didn’t exercise at the gym and only 27 percent reported exercising during a workday. Furthermore, 18 percent of respondents said that they exercised for about an hour or two, while 29 percent said they exercised for between 30 and 60 minutes.
When it came to what exercises were popular, most people reported running, followed by lifting weights, biking, hiking, and other outdoor activities. But even though these results were encouraging, there were still skeptics.
“If it’s true, it’s good news for the fitness industry,” Dr. Walter Thompson, of the American College of Sports Medicine, told Reuters, adding that people tend to exaggerate. “Ask people ‘How much do you weigh? How tall are you?’ and I’m pretty sure most people will tell you they’re taller.” He said that other research finds that only about 20 percent of Americans exercise regularly. Still, he said that it's a "useful snapshot" into the behaviors of the age group that was surveyed but once you look beyond, "it's a little dangerous."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Physical Activity Guidelines for adults, ages 18 to 64, recommends at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, which can be cut down to 75 minutes if its vigorous intensity, and at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities. Doing so has a laundry list of benefits, including weight control, improved mental health, good chances of living longer, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
For women over 60 years old, exercising just once a week could have the same health benefits as exercising a little more often, a recent study found. Researchers found that although strength and endurance improved with more sessions, internal health improved at about the same rate for those who exercised once a week and those who did more frequently.
Exercising is easy if you can commit to just 35 minutes each day. Here’s how.