Just one in four U.S. adults exercised enough in the 1990s, the government said Thursday. Almost 30 percent reported no physical activity at all. The CDC recommends a half-hour of moderate exercise, like walking, five times a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, three times a week. For transportation, they get in their cars rather than walking or riding bicycles. The findings are based on random telephone surveys conducted by health officials in 43 states and the District of Columbia between 1990 and 1998.
Inactivity can lead to obesity, which is closely tied to diabetes.
Diabetes kills 180,000 Americans a year, and the disease is rising sharply. Part of the problem is that Americans see exercise as an inconvenience, Ham said. But the 30-minute requirement can be broken into chunks as small as 10 minutes, with everyday activities like gardening counting as exercise. Also Thursday, the government said fewer than half of Americans age 50 and older are receiving proper screening for colorectal cancer, which kills more than 50,000 people each year.