Americans aren't getting enough exercise

(Image credit: Natnan Srisuwan/iStock)

published 28 June 2018

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.

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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.

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Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.

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