Women Must Exercise an Hour Each Day to Stay Lean, Says Harvard’s Study

Federal guidelines recommend about 30 minutes a day, but a Harvard University has just found that women need actually double – an hour of exercise each day –
to minimize weight gain as they get older.

In general, middle-aged women increase their weight within five pounds over 13 years.

However, those who started with a healthy weight and then did an hour of moderate physical activity each day skip their weight gain, according to data from 34,079 women

Those heavier at the start, regardless of how active they became, gained more pounds.

Obesity now affects one-third of U.S. men and women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and increases the risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

According to the Harvard’s study lead author, I-Min Lee, the bottom line is: “If you’re a healthy weight and you want to prevent weight gain over time, you need to be physically active at least 60 minutes a day.”

The results of today’s study apply only to older women and research is needed to see if the same pattern applies to younger women and men.

Government Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults exercise at least 30 minutes a day five times a week, or 2.5 hours, to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. For greater health benefits, the government says adults should be active at least 300 minutes or five hours each week.

Lee also said health workers and the public should be aware that 2.5 hours a week of exercise, while sufficient for preventing chronic disease, isn’t enough for maintaining a healthy weight over time for U.S. women who eat a normal diet.

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