Fitness: The Average American
This article is part of a series of insights into what an Average American life really looks like.
It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that America, as a country, is less physically active than it should be. Indeed, the Average American does not exercise nearly as often as recommended. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (yes, that CDC), only about 23 percent of all U.S. adults get the recommended amount of exercise per week.
The recommended amount of exercise per week
That’s 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, plus two bouts of muscle-strengthening exercise. Broken down, that would be five 30-minute aerobic activities per week as well as two muscle-strengthen sessions but don’t worry, you don’t need to work-out seven days a week to reach that goal.
“Moderate intensity aerobic exercise” includes activities like walking fast, swimming, riding a bike, playing volleyball or basketball. Take a brisk walk for 50 minutes, three times a week and you’re aerobic exercise is covered. You can also cut the amount of required time to meet the recommendation in half by upping the intensity of the exercise. Doing activities like running or playing soccer cut the necessary time down to 75 minutes a week.
What about “muscle-strengthening” exercise? The recommendation minimum is twice per week with activities like lifting weights, working with resistance bands and doing bodyweight movements all popular options. From the UK, the NHS also count heavy gardening, such as digging and shoveling among suitable activities.
How much do(n’t) we exercise?
- 23% of adults meet the recommended level of physical activity per week
- Only one in three children are physically active every day
- Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day
- More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, and more than 80% of adolescents do not do enough aerobic physical activity to meet the guidelines for youth
- Children now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen (e.g., TV, videogames, computer)
- Only about one in five homes have parks within a half-mile, and about the same number have a fitness or recreation center within that distance
There are many factors affecting exercise activity levels
Looking at activity levels in different parts of America provide a glimpse into some of the leading causes of lower than recommended activity levels.
As you might’ve predicted, western states tend to be more physically active, while southeastern states rated lower. There are lots of reasons for this geographical variation. The most active states are also generally higher in income and more white, both of which correlate with high socioeconomic status. That, in turn, means those people are more likely to have the kind of job that makes exercising during leisure time much easier — jobs that don’t require physical labor and have shorter, more regular hours.
This pattern becomes even more clear when you look at the data comparing income to activity level.
In 2016, only 11.8 percent of those under the poverty level were able to meet the exercise standard, but 34.3 percent of those earning 600 percent of the poverty level (roughly $150,000 for a family of four) could.
There are also striking differences outside of socioeconomic status. Many more men meet the national standards for exercise than women — 26.3 to 18.8 percent in 2016. This gap persists across aerobic activity and strength training. Gender is just one aspect that we need to focus on. The CDC data shows significant differences across all kinds of divides — racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, marital status, age, sexual orientation.
Why people aren’t exercising enough
From a busy schedule to not seeing results, there are many reasons why people don’t exercise.
Here are some of the most commonly reported reasons:
Don’t Enjoy Exercise
Keep Quitting
Can’t Afford a Gym Membership
Not Seeing Changes in Body
Don’t Know How to Exercise
Have Childcare Responsibilities
Too Stressed
Too Tired and Sore
Can’t Commit
Don’t Have Time
Overcoming these obstacles
Overall, physical activity levels actually increased during the first months of the COVID pandemic. With fewer leisure activities available and more time spent at home, there was a boom in jogging, bike riding and walking. Although these activities trended back to the norm as temperatures dropped, encouragingly these activities are particularly good at overcoming the majority of obstacles people face.
These activities all allow us to get our recommended amount of aerobic activity each week, while being free to do and can be done on our own schedule. They are also social activities that can be done with a friend, partner or child and have a low fitness barrier to entry. There is a level for everyone.
Closing thoughts
There are more benefits to exercise than I dare to list, but generally speaking people who get the recommended amount of exercise are happier, less stressed and more confident. They’re also healthier, both physically and mentally. If the Average American got in the recommended amount each week, nationwide we would cut down 1 in 10 premature deaths, 1 in 8 cases of breast cancer, 1 in 12 cases of diabetes and 1 in 15 cases of heart disease.
In my last post New Year, New You?, I ended with the phrase “You can’t get yesterday back but you still have today”. That remains true. We could all be a little more active and that can start today. Whether that’s a 20 minute walk this evening or my old college favorite 8-minute abs, start small and make things manageable.
While researching this topic I found the following quote from Dr. Ruth Peterson, Director of CDC Division of Nutrition “ If you could package physical activity into a pill, it would be the most effective drug on the market.” My guess is that it would be one of the most popular too.
Stephen
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For more from this series:
The Holidays: America’s $1 Trillion Industry
Why Many American’s Are Wary of the COVID-19 Vaccine
Can the Average American still afford to live in America?
The Death of an American Dream
Over 65% of Americans will take drugs today
Here’s how much the average American actually makes in a year