The purpose of this Position Stand is to provide guidance to professionals who counsel and prescribe individualized exercise to apparently healthy adults of all ages. These recommendations also may apply to adults with certain chronic diseases or disabilities, when appropriately evaluated and advised by a health professional. This document supersedes the 1998 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Position Stand, "The Recommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness, and Flexibility in Healthy Adults." The scientific evidence demonstrating the beneficial effects of exercise is indisputable, and the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks in most adults. A program of regular exercise that includes cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor exercise training beyond activities of daily living to improve and maintain physical fitness and health is essential for most adults. The ACSM recommends that most adults engage in moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise training for ≥30 min·d on ≥5 d·wk for a total of ≥150 min·wk, vigorous-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise training for ≥20 min·d on ≥3 d·wk (≥75 min·wk), or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise to achieve a total energy expenditure of ≥500-1000 MET·min·wk. On 2-3 d·wk, adults should also perform resistance exercises for each of the major muscle groups, and neuromotor exercise involving balance, agility, and coordination. Crucial to maintaining joint range of movement, completing a series of flexibility exercises for each the major muscle-tendon groups (a total of 60 s per exercise) on ≥2 d·wk is recommended. The exercise program should be modified according to an individual's habitual physical activity, physical function, health status, exercise responses, and stated goals. Adults who are unable or unwilling to meet the exercise targets outlined here still can benefit from engaging in amounts of exercise less than recommended. In addition to exercising regularly, there are health benefits in concurrently reducing total time engaged in sedentary pursuits and also by interspersing frequent, short bouts of standing and physical activity between periods of sedentary activity, even in physically active adults. Behaviorally based exercise interventions, the use of behavior change strategies, supervision by an experienced fitness instructor, and exercise that is pleasant and enjoyable can improve adoption and adherence to prescribed exercise programs. Educating adults about and screening for signs and symptoms of CHD and gradual progression of exercise intensity and volume may reduce the risks of exercise. Consultations with a medical professional and diagnostic exercise testing for CHD are useful when clinically indicated but are not recommended for universal screening to enhance the safety of exercise.

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Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise

WRITING GROUP MEMBERS Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, SCM, FAHA Michael J. Blaha, MD, MPH Stephanie E. Chiuve, ScD Mary Cushman, MD, MSc, FAHA Sandeep R. Das, MD, MPH, FAHA Rajat Deo, MD, MTR Sarah D. de Ferranti, MD, MPH James Floyd, MD, MS Myriam Fornage, PhD, FAHA Cathleen Gillespie, MS Carmen R. Isasi, MD, PhD, FAHA Monik C. Jiménez, ScD, SM Lori Chaffin Jordan, MD, PhD Suzanne E. Judd, PhD Daniel Lackland, DrPH, FAHA Judith H. Lichtman, PhD, MPH, FAHA Lynda Lisabeth, PhD, MPH, FAHA Simin Liu, MD, ScD, FAHA Chris T. Longenecker, MD Rachel H. Mackey, PhD, MPH, FAHA Kunihiro Matsushita, MD, PhD, FAHA Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, FAHA Michael E. Mussolino, PhD, FAHA Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH, FAHA Robert W. Neumar, MD, PhD, FAHA Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS, FAHA Dilip K. Pandey, MBBS, MS, PhD, FAHA Ravi R. Thiagarajan, MD, MPH Mathew J. Reeves, PhD Matthew Ritchey, PT, DPT, OCS, MPH Carlos J. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, FAHA Gregory A. Roth, MD, MPH Wayne D. Rosamond, PhD, FAHA Comilla Sasson, MD, PhD, FAHA Amytis Towfighi, MD Connie W. Tsao, MD, MPH Melanie B. Turner, MPH Salim S. Virani, MD, PhD, FAHA Jenifer H. Voeks, PhD Joshua Z. Willey, MD, MS John T. Wilkins, MD Jason HY. Wu, MSc, PhD, FAHA Heather M. Alger, PhD Sally S. Wong, PhD, RD, CDN, FAHA Paul Muntner, PhD, MHSc On behalf of the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2017 Update

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2017 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association

Summary—In 1995 the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published national guidelines on Physical Activity and Public Health The Committee on Exercise and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the American Heart Association endorsed and supported these recommendations The purpose of the present report is to update and clarify the 1995 recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain health Development of this document was by an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public health specialists This panel reviewed advances in pertinent physiologic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientific data, including primary research articles and reviews published since the original recommendation was issued in 1995 Issues considered by the panel included new scientific evidence relating physical activity to health, physical activity recommendations by various organizations in the interim, and communications issues Key points related to updating the physical activity recommendation were outlined and writing groups were formed A draft manuscript was prepared and circulated for review to the expert panel as well as to outside experts Comments were integrated into the final recommendation Primary Recommendation—To promote and maintain health, all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 yr need moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week [I (A)] Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation [IIa (B)] For example, a person can meet the recommendation by walking briskly for 30 min twice during the week and then jogging for 20 min on two other days Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-min minimum by performing bouts each lasting 10 or more minutes [I (B)] Vigorous-intensity activity is exemplified by jogging, and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate In addition, every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance a minimum of two days each week [IIa (A)] Because of the dose-response relation between physical activity and health, persons who wish to further improve their personal fitness, reduce their risk for chronic diseases and disabilities or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity [I (A)] (Circulation 2007;116:1081-1093)

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Physical Activity and Public Health Updated Recommendation for Adults From the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association

The primary purpose of this narrative review was to evaluate the current literature and to provide further insight into the role physical inactivity plays in the development of chronic disease and premature death. We confirm that there is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis) and premature death. We also reveal that the current Health Canada physical activity guidelines are sufficient to elicit health benefits, especially in previously sedentary people. There appears to be a linear relation between physical activity and health status, such that a further increase in physical activity and fitness will lead to additional improvements in health status.

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Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence

Author(s): Writing Group Members; Mozaffarian, Dariush; Benjamin, Emelia J; Go, Alan S; Arnett, Donna K; Blaha, Michael J; Cushman, Mary; Das, Sandeep R; de Ferranti, Sarah; Despres, Jean-Pierre; Fullerton, Heather J; Howard, Virginia J; Huffman, Mark D; Isasi, Carmen R; Jimenez, Monik C; Judd, Suzanne E; Kissela, Brett M; Lichtman, Judith H; Lisabeth, Lynda D; Liu, Simin; Mackey, Rachel H; Magid, David J; McGuire, Darren K; Mohler, Emile R; Moy, Claudia S; Muntner, Paul; Mussolino, Michael E; Nasir, Khurram; Neumar, Robert W; Nichol, Graham; Palaniappan, Latha; Pandey, Dilip K; Reeves, Mathew J; Rodriguez, Carlos J; Rosamond, Wayne; Sorlie, Paul D; Stein, Joel; Towfighi, Amytis; Turan, Tanya N; Virani, Salim S; Woo, Daniel; Yeh, Robert W; Turner, Melanie B; American Heart Association Statistics Committee; Stroke Statistics Subcommittee

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2016 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association

Objective. —To evaluate the relationship between changes in physical fitness and risk of mortality in men. Design. —Prospective study, with two clinical examinations (mean interval between examinations, 4.9 years) to assess change or lack of change in physical fitness as associated with risk of mortality during follow-up after the subsequent examination (mean follow-up from subsequent examination, 5.1 years). Setting. —Preventive medicine clinic. Study Participants. —Participants were 9777 men given two preventive medical examinations, each of which included assessment of physical fitness by maximal exercise tests and evaluation of health status. Main Outcome Measures. —All-cause (n=223) and cardiovascular disease (n=87) mortality. Results. —The highest age-adjusted all-cause death rate was observed in men who were unfit at both examinations (122.0/10 000 man-years); the lowest death rate was in men who were physically fit at both examinations (39.6/10000 man-years). Men who improved from unfit to fit between the first and subsequent examinations had an age-adjusted death rate of 67.7/10 000 man-years. This is a reduction in mortality risk of 44% (95% confidence interval, 25% to 59%) relative to men who remained unfit at both examinations. Improvement in fitness was associated with lower death rates after adjusting for age, health status, and other risk factors of premature mortality. For each minute increase in maximal treadmill time between examinations, there was a corresponding 7.9% (P=.001) decrease in risk of mortality. Similar results were seen when the group was stratified by health status, and for cardiovascular disease mortality. Conclusions. —Men who maintained or improved adequate physical fitness were less likely to die from all causes and from cardiovascular disease during follow-up than persistently unfit men. Physicians should encourage unfit men to improve their fitness by starting a physical activity program. (JAMA. 1995;273:1093-1098)

Changes in Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality: A Prospective Study of Healthy and Unhealthy Men

Objective. —To quantify the relation of cardiorespiratory fitness to cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and to all-cause mortality within strata of other personal characteristics that predispose to early mortality. Design. —Observational cohort study. We calculated CVD and all-cause death rates for low (least fit 20%), moderate (next 40%), and high (most fit 40%) fitness categories by strata of smoking habit, cholesterol level, blood pressure, and health status. Setting. —Preventive medicine clinic. Study Participants. —Participants were 25 341 men and 7080 women who completed preventive medical examinations, including a maximal exercise test. Main Outcome Measures. —Cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Results. —There were 601 deaths during 211 996 man-years of follow-up, and 89 deaths during 52 982 woman-years of follow-up. Independent predictors of mortality among men, with adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cls), were low fitness (RR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.28-1.82), smoking (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.39-1.97), abnormal electrocardiogram (RR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.34-2.01), chronic illness (RR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.37-1.95), increased cholesterol level (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13-1.59), and elevated systolic blood pressure (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13-1.59). The only statistically significant independent predictors of mortality in women were low fitness (RR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.36-3.21) and smoking (RR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.25-3.17). Inverse gradients were seen for mortality across fitness categories within strata of other mortality predictors for both sexes. Fit persons with any combination of smoking, elevated blood pressure, or elevated cholesterol level had lower adjusted death rates than low-fit persons with none of these characteristics. Conclusions. —Low fitness is an important precursor of mortality. The protective effect of fitness held for smokers and nonsmokers, those with and without elevated cholesterol levels or elevated blood pressure, and unhealthy and healthy persons. Moderate fitness seems to protect against the influence of these other predictors on mortality. Physicians should encourage sedentary patients to become physically active and thereby reduce the risk of premature mortality.

Influences of cardiorespiratory fitness and other precursors on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women

ContextRecent guidelines for treatment of overweight and obesity include recommendations
for risk stratification by disease conditions and cardiovascular disease (CVD)
risk factors, but the role of physical inactivity is not prominent in these
recommendations.ObjectiveTo quantify the influence of low cardiorespiratory fitness, an objective
marker of physical inactivity, on CVD and all-cause mortality in normal-weight,
overweight, and obese men and compare low fitness with other mortality predictors.DesignProspective observational data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal
Study.SettingPreventive medicine clinic in Dallas, Tex.ParticipantsA total of 25,714 adult men (average age, 43.8 years [SD, 10.1 years])
who received a medical examination during 1970 to 1993, with mortality follow-up
to December 31, 1994.Main Outcome MeasuresCardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality based on mortality predictors
(baseline CVD, type 2 diabetes mellitus, high serum cholesterol level, hypertension,
current cigarette smoking, and low cardiorespiratory fitness) stratified by
body mass index.ResultsDuring the study period, there were 1025 deaths (439 due to CVD) during
258,781 man-years of follow-up. Overweight and obese men with baseline CVD
or CVD risk factors were at higher risk for all-cause and CVD mortality compared
with normal-weight men without these predictors. Using normal-weight men without
CVD as the referent, the strongest predictor of CVD death in obese men was
baseline CVD (age- and examination year-adjusted relative risk [RR], 14.0;
95% confidence interval [CI], 9.4-20.8); RRs for obese men with diabetes mellitus,
high cholesterol, hypertension, smoking, and low fitness were similar and
ranged from 4.4 (95% CI, 2.7-7.1) for smoking to 5.0 (95% CI, 3.6-7.0) for
low fitness. Relative risks for all-cause mortality in obese men ranged from
2.3 (95% CI, 1.7-2.9) for men with hypertension to 4.7 (95% CI, 3.6-6.1) for
those with CVD at baseline. Relative risk for all-cause mortality in obese
men with low fitness was 3.1 (95% CI, 2.5-3.8) and in obese men with diabetes
mellitus 3.1 (95% CI, 2.3-4.2) and as slightly higher than the RRs for obese
men who smoked or had high cholesterol levels. Low fitness was an independent
predictor of mortality in all body mass index groups after adjustment for
other mortality predictors. Approximately 50% (n = 1674)of obese men had low
fitness, which led to a population-attributable risk of 39% for CVD mortality
and 44% for all-cause mortality. Baseline CVD had population attributable
risks of 51% and 27% for CVD and all-cause mortality, respectively.ConclusionsIn this analysis, low cardiorespiratory fitness was a strong and independent
predictor of CVD and all-cause mortality and of comparable importance with
that of diabetes mellitus and other CVD risk factors.

https://www.bewegenismedicijn.nl/files/downloads/Wei%20et%20al.,%202009.pdf

Relationship Between Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Normal-Weight, Overweight, and Obese Men

Background— Few studies have reported the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic syndrome incidence, particularly in women. Methods and Results— We prospectively studied 9007 men (mean±SD age, 44±9 years; body mass index, 25±3 kg/m2) and 1491 women (age, 44±9 years; body mass index, 22±2 kg/m2) who were free of metabolic syndrome and for whom measures of waist girth, resting blood pressure, fasting lipids, and glucose were taken during baseline and follow-up examinations. Baseline cardiorespiratory fitness was quantified as duration of a maximal treadmill test. Metabolic syndrome was defined with NCEP ATP-III criteria. During a mean follow-up of 5.7 years, 1346 men and 56 women developed metabolic syndrome. Age-adjusted incidence rates were significantly lower (linear trend, P<0.001) across incremental thirds of fitness in men and women. After further adjustment for potential confounders, multivariable hazard ratios for incident metabolic syndrome among men in the low, middle, and up...

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Inversely Associated With the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome A Prospective Study of Men and Women

OBJECTIVE —To quantify the relation of fitness to mortality among men with diabetes, adjusted for BMI and within levels of BMI. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —In this observational cohort study, we calculated all-cause death rates in men with diabetes across quartiles of fitness and BMI categories. Study participants were 2,196 men with diabetes (average age 49.3 years, SD 9.5) who underwent a medical examination, including a maximal exercise test, during 1970 to 1995, with mortality follow-up to 31 December 1996. RESULTS —We identified 275 deaths during 32,161 person-years of observation. Risk of all-cause mortality was inversely related to fitness. For example, in the fully adjusted model, the risk of mortality was 4.5 (2.6–7.6), 2.8 (1.6–4.7), and 1.6 (0.93–2.76) for the first, second, and third fitness quartiles, respectively, with the fourth quartile (highest fitness level) as the referent ( P for trend P for trend CONCLUSIONS —There was a steep inverse gradient between fitness and mortality in this cohort of men with documented diabetes, and this association was independent of BMI.

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/27/1/83.full.pdf

Carolyn E. Barlow

Papers

Changes in Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality: A Prospective Study of Healthy and Unhealthy Men

Influences of cardiorespiratory fitness and other precursors on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women

Relationship Between Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Normal-Weight, Overweight, and Obese Men

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Inversely Associated With the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome A Prospective Study of Men and Women

Exercise capacity and body composition as predictors of mortality among men with diabetes