Speed Reads

Health

Americans aren't getting enough exercise

When was the last time you went to the gym? Statistically, it's been a while.

The CDC released data Thursday showing that just 22.9 percent of U.S. adults meet the amount of weekly exercise recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services. Health experts recommend that adults "between the ages of 18 and 64" should get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, each week, CNN reported.

That amounts to 15 to 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. It's a bleak outlook — particularly when you look at the numbers for each state, Insider reported. States like Kentucky and New York get significantly less exercise than the national average, while states like Arizona and Minnesota report significantly higher numbers.

But these numbers may not be as bad as they seem, Insider explained. The Department of Health hoped that 20.1 percent of adults would meet this requirement by 2020, so the Americans are actually ahead of the government's stated goal.

And what's more, this study only takes into account "leisure time physical activity," which means people who walk during their commutes or exercise at work weren't counted. "If you are engaged in a physically demanding job for eight to 12 hours a day, the last thing you want to do at the end of your workday is go to the gym to work out," Tainya Clarke, a health statistician and one of the authors of the study, told CNN.

Read more about the CDC's study at Insider.