A Message About Minimums
by Chris Marino, MS, LMT
Although I’ve never been a fan of typical New Year’s Resolutions, I do tend to use the turn of a new year to reflect on the past year, dwell on accomplishments and challenges, plan and set objectives for the next 12 months. I want to share one of my challenges from 2022 with you. I’ll be honest, this line item was not something that was on my radar as of January 1, 2022, but it became one of the most important accomplishments for my personal health this year.
Following a doctor’s visit in March I walked away with a realization that one aspect of my physical activity level, which at times over the past 30+ years had been borderline extreme, was currently failing to meet the minimums. Although I’d been consistent in getting 3-4 Strength Training workouts in every week, I had allowed my cardio-respiratory fitness to wane, significantly and it was starting to impact my health. I had a million reasons or excuses…I was burned out after completing Ironman Mt. Tremblant in 2014, strength workouts were more convenient (after all I have 24/7 access to a pretty decent gym), family obligations, running bothers my hip, cardio is boring (especially when you have an ADHD brain), and so on.
It took a wake-up call from my doctor, even after 28 years as a fitness professional to make me aware of what I was or, rather wasn’t doing right. So, over the past 6 months I’ve been focused on gradually increasing my cardio-respiratory workouts to three (3) days of somewhat vigorous training for forty to sixty minute each session. I started small, with 20 minutes once a week on the StairClimber, added a weekend bike ride, and then an extra ride during the week along with progressively increased duration over 4-5 months. At this point, I can say that getting my “cardio” workouts in has transitioned to a habit once again. Box checked!
During this process, I came to recognize that at 48, my goals have migrated from performance and challenge-based, to reducing risk of disease, controlling chronic pain, or simply moving better to live better, not unlike the majority of our clients at Marino’s. In 2023, I’d love for my personal experience to be a wake-up call for our community.
Although our reasons for participating in fitness activities in general range widely, I think you would agree that longevity is always the underlying objective. Hence, it’s important to recognize that the benefits we seek from exercise with respect to longevity are the result of meeting minimum standards over time in multiple categories: cardio-respiratory endurance, muscle building, and mobility or flexibility activities, not just one.
Here are the minimum recommended amounts of exercise for improved health, chronic disease prevention and longevity in adults by category:
150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise weekly; 30 to 60 minutes a day, most days of the week, or
20 to 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise 3 or more days per week.
2 days per week of muscle strengthening exercise (can be any form of resistance training or calisthenics)
2 to 3 days per week of flexibility exercise
If you’re over 65, incorporating balance training 2 to 3 days per week is also advised.
According to the CDC, only ~47% of Americans are currently meeting the minimum recommendations for Aerobic Physical Activity. It drops to just over 24% when you combine Aerobic & Muscle Strengthening Exercise. If you’re not currently meeting these goals, then you’re not alone. But if you’re reading this, then you’re likely looking for opportunities to optimize your health.
Here are some reasons why you should be aiming to hit the minimums:
- 80% reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease
- 90% reduction in risk for type 2 diabetes
- 33% reduction in risk for cancer.
- 17% reduction in all-cause mortality (you will live longer)
- Significant improvements in mental health (i.e. depression and anxiety) with 20-40 minutes of daily exercise
Now that you can visualize the “standards”, are you doing enough? If you’re a client at Marino’s you’ve likely got your strength, balance and possibly flexibility minimums covered (if you’re doing your pre-/post-workout drills). I understand that like me (6 months ago) getting in adequate cardio-respiratory activity on a weekly basis can be a challenge for many of you.
The trick to getting started is to not let it overwhelm you; simply assess where you need to make improvements and set a couple small goals. The adage that “anything is better than nothing” tends to hold true, but it should also be viewed as a launch point. For example, you can get started with a brisk walk for 10-20 minute a day, and add 5 minutes a week until you hit your target. You can also look for some community activities if you need company for inspiration. We have a number of clients who’ve joined the local hiking club, and others who are playing pickleball a couple times a week.
If you’re truly seeking to improve your health and well-being or gain a few years now is a perfect opportunity to start building up the areas that you’ve been neglecting. Let us know if you need help!
Barkley, Lisa C. MD, FAAFP, FACSM, FSAHM1; Reams, Phyllisa BS2. Exercise and Chronic Disease Management. Current Sports Medicine Reports 20(8):p 387-388, August 2021.