HHS HealthBeat (February 07, 2008)

Which half

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Getting enough activity?

Survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say regular physical activity increased by about 8.5 percent among women and 3.5 percent among men. But the data for 2005 find that we’ve only worked our way up, from 2001, to roughly 50 percent being active.

So this is a case of the glass being half-full or half-empty. And there are risks on the half-empty side. CDC researcher Isa Miles:

``Physical inactivity has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, premature mortality, and certain cancers, so there is substantial health risk from not being physically active.’’ (11 seconds)

To get the recommended amount of 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week, you could walk, do yard work – or, of course, work out.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 08 2008