The latest government recommendations on how much we should exercise may not cut it. New exercise guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) say we may need more physical activity to keep from gaining weight, and to help lose weight and keep it off. The ACSM stresses if you’re overweight or obese, you’ll most likely lose more weight and maintain that weight loss if you exercise at least 250 minutes each week – that’s 50 minutes five days a week.

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Not to be negative, but I wasn’t really surprised when I saw a new report about how so many Americans are missing their exercise goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about a third of adults are not meeting the minimum levels of physical activity from the newly released 2008 Guidelines.

Those guidelines recommend two and a half hours a week of moderate activity, like brisk walking, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous activity, like running. Doesn’t seem like that much, does it?

Other guidelines – from the government’s Healthy People 2010 – say we need at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days a week. Only half of those surveyed in the CDC’s report meet those goals.

And even stronger guidelines come from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) – that groups says we should exercise at least an hour a day to maintain our health and weight.

Why so many guidelines? Which ones – if any – do you follow?

Me – I’ve been slacking a little because of the evil winter season (we don’t get along), but my exercise levels are usually more along the guidelines of the IOM.

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Here’s one reason why it’s never too late to start exercising – a new small study from Australia finds brisk walking helps memory problems in seniors. Researchers say the increased blood flow may give a slight boost to the aging brain. Even though the results show only slight improvements in the elderly’s memory, they back up other studies that have shown the potential mental benefits from physical activity.

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Young children exercise a lot – an average of three hours a day when they’re nine years-old, says a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But by the time they’re 15, their daily physical activity is down to just 49 minutes on weekdays and about a half-hour on weekends.

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Does eating after 8 really make you gain weight? This is a common diet myth.

The Facts:
It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat.

Tip:
If you want to have a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you have eaten that day. And try to avoid snacking in front of the TV at night—it may be easier to overeat when you are distracted by the television.

Source: The Weight-control Information Network (WIN)

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After all the holiday feasting, now is a good time to walk off some of those calories. But before you head out, clip a pedometer onto your waistband to count your steps – new research shows it’ll boost your workout.

A report from Stanford University School of Medicine finds pedometers can help you exercise more, lose weight, and lower your blood pressure.

Researchers analyzed 26 studies that looked at using pedometers to motivate people to exercise. 2,767 people took part in the studies – most were female, overweight, and relatively inactive before they started their walking program.

Results show those who used pedometers increased their physical activity by just over 2,000 steps – the equivalent of about a mile of walking a day.

Researchers say setting a goal of a certain number of steps was key to increasing physical activity. Even if participants didn’t actually reach their goal, it seemed to help them stay motivated.

The study authors note their research had some limitations – only 15-percent of participants were male and the mean study duration was only 18 weeks – so more research is definitely needed. But they still hope the findings will encourage physicians to recommend pedometers to their sedentary patients… and get them moving.

The study is published in the November 21 issue of JAMA.

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It’s harder for kids to get junk food from vending machines in schools, according to a new federal study. But the report from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) says while schools are making strides in promoting physical activity, it’s still not enough.

Here are some of the results:

• States prohibiting schools from offering junk food in vending machines went up from 8 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2006.
• Schools selling bottled water in vending machines or school stores increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 46 percent in 2006.
• Schools offering salads a la carte increased from 53 percent in 2000 to 73 percent in 2006.
• The percentage of schools that offered French fries a la carte went down from 40 percent to 19 percent.
• States that required elementary schools to have regularly scheduled recess went up from 4 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2006.

“If we want to build on the improvements that schools have made over the past six years, we need to involve many people and programs,” said Howell Wechsler, Ed.D., M.P.H., director of CDC′s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “Families, schools, school boards, and school administrators all need to work together to develop and implement policies and programs that promote health and safety among our nation′s young people.”

The CDC study found several areas that need improvement, including:

• 77 percent of high schools still sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice, and 61 percent sell salty snacks not low in fat in their vending machines or school stores.
• Only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools, and 2 percent of high schools had daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year for students in all grades.
• Overall, 22 percent of schools did not require students to take any PE.

According to the CDC, about 17 percent of children and teens ages 2-19 are overweight.

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