Today’s USA Today ran an article that defines what moderate physical activity is.
National guidelines urge all Americans to engage in “moderate physical activity” at least 2 1/2 hours a week, but what does that mean? A stroll? A run?
A new study has the answer – Moderate is equivalent to a brisk walk, or about 1,000 steps every 10 minutes.
To determine what level of activity was in the moderate range, researchers had 58 women and 39 men (average age 32) walk on treadmills while a machine measured their energy expenditure. They found that moderate exercise amounted to 92 to 102 steps a minute for men and 91 to 115 steps a minute for women.
“Imagine you’re late for a bus. You’re in a hurry. It’s not a leisurely stroll, it’s a brisk walk,” says researcher Simon Marshall of San Diego State University. The study will be in May’s American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
