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It was not until the 1950s that the first studies on the impact of physical activity on health were published. The American College of Sports Medicine published the first recommendations in 1978 on the amount and type of physical activity needed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness. But only in 1995, the first official public health recommendations have been issued by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, stating that all adults should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week. However, over the last years the public health recommendations in terms of physical activity have been constantly updated and differentiated by age groups. Let know see them in detail.

The present official recommendations of the WHO for physical activity are the following.

Children and adolescents (5-17 years)

Should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week. Vigorous intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, should be incorporated at least 3 days a week. Children and adolescents should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time.

Adults (18-64 years)

Adults should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits. Adults should also do muscle strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits. Adults may increase moderate intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.

Older adults (65+ years)

Older adults should do at least 150– 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits. Older adults should also do muscle strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits. As part of their weekly physical activity, older adults should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training at moderate or greater intensity, on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and to prevent falls.

Pregnant and postpartum women

Do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week for substantial health benefits. Incorporate a variety of aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. Adding gentle stretching may also be beneficial. Women who, before pregnancy, habitually engaged in vigorous- intensity aerobic activity, or who were physically active, can continue these activities during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

For more information please visit: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128
Or: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

The Swiss Federal Office of Sport (OFSPO) also published the public health recommendations for physical activity, which correspond to the global ones seen above.

For more information please visit: https://www.hepa.ch/it/bewegungsempfehlungen.html

Another interesting and useful way to measure the recommended amount of physical activity is the number of steps. Also in this case, a lot of studies have been published in the literature. Nowadays, it is agreed that an active lifestyle corresponds to 10,000 steps per day.

Level of physical activity and number of steps per day:

Very active  ≥ 12’500
Active 10’000-12’499
Somewhat active 7’500-9’999
Not very active 5’000-7’499
Sedentary < 5’000

To conclude, the objective of the recommendations is to provide references to the population in terms of physical activity. In each developed country, health authorities have incorporated those recommendation into their national health promotion strategies. Just remember that a little amount of physical activity is better than none, and that the benefits may increase as the amount of physical activity increases.

Sources:

A. Vuillemin, (2011). Le point sur les recommandations de santé publique en matière d’activité physique, Science & Sports, Volume 26, Issue 4, pp. 183-190, ISSN 0765-1597.

Pate RR, Pratt M, Blair SN, Haskell WL, Macera CA, Bouchard C, et al., (1995). Physical activity and public health. A recommen- dation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA 273, pp. 402-407

American College of Sports Medicine, (1978). American College of Sports Medicine position statement on the recommended quan- tity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining fitness in healthy adults. Med Sci Sports;10, vii—x.

Blair SN, LaMonte MJ, Nichaman MZ, (2004). The evolution of physical activity recommendations: how much is enough? Am J Clin Nutr;79:913S—20S.

World Health Organisation (WHO), 2022. Physical activity. Geneva, Switzerland. URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020. Geneva: World Health Organization. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

OFSPO, 2014. Muoversi fa bene alla salute, hepa, available at: https://www.hepa.ch/it/bewegungsempfehlungen.html