Facts About Health and Fitness:

1. Substituting 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise for 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise throughout the week yields similar health benefits and is a more time-efficient option for busy schedules.
2. Being moderately obese (a body mass index of 30-35) can shorten your lifespan by 3 years and being severely obese (a body mass index of 40 to 50) can shorten your lifespan by 10 years according to a recent study published in The Lancet (www.thelancet.com).
3. Regardless of the purpose of the physical activity (bicycling to work, walking the dog, raking the yard), all forms of aerobic exercise count toward meeting the recommendations as long as they are of a duration of at least 10 minutes.
4. You can reduce your risk of musculoskeletal injury and undue fatigue by spreading your physical activity throughout the week (spread over at least three days).
5. You can boost your energy expenditure during walking by using walking poles according to a study by The Cooper Institute investigating Nordic Walking (using poles) versus regular walking.
   

Resources:

www.health.gov/paguidelines

The Lancet. 2009 Mar; 373 (9669):1083-1096.

Res Q Exerc Sport. 2002 Sep; 73(3):296-300.

Note:  Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.