Revised Exercise Guidelines for Weight Loss

New ACSM Recommendations Suggest More Activity is Needed

Feb 24, 2009 Steven M. Cohen

The American College of Sports Medicine has release new guidelines for adult exercise. The new guidelines suggest that more weekly exercise is needed.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has just released revised exercise guidelines for adults. The guidelines included changes in identifying adults that need weight loss, revisions in recommendations for physical activity for maintenance of good health, and new guidelines for exercise levels for weight loss. The new guidelines generally recommend higher weekly levels of physical activity for improved health and weight loss, than were previously recommended.

Definition of Exercise Intensity

The effectiveness of exercise depends, in part, on the intensity of the activity. The more intense an activity, the more effective it will be for calorie burning and weight loss. Exercise intensity is measured in METs, or Metabolic Equivalent of Task. Sitting quietly is defined as 1.0 MET. Using this standard, here are the intensity measurements for some common activities:

Low intensity activities:

• Desk work – 1.8 MET
• Slow walking/strolling – 2.0 MET
• Sleeping – 0.9 MET

Moderate intensity activities:

• Stationary bike – light effort – 3.0 MET
• Outdoor bicycling – 4.0 MET

High intensity activities:

• Jogging – 7.0 MET
• Calisthenics – 8.0 MET
• Faster running – 8.0 MET

Specific New Exercise Recommendations

• The average adult should get between 150 and 250 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. This exercise should burn between 1200 and 2000 calories per week. This level of exercise, coupled with a reasonable diet, will prevent unwanted weight gain.
• A greater volume of exercise or more intense exercise will lead to greater weight loss. Therefore, there is a “dose-response” effect for exercise. Activity levels of less than 150 minutes per week will result in minimal, if any, weight loss. Exercising more than 150 minutes per week will result in mild, 2-3 kg weight loss. Activity of 225 to 400 minutes per week will result in 5 to 7.5 kg weight loss.
• An average of 200 to 300 minutes of exercise per week is needed to maintain weight loss, but more is better when trying to prevent weight re-gain.
• “Lifestyle physical activity” can help expend enough energy to prevent long term weight gain in most adults. Lifestyle physical activity refers to small daily changes, such as taking stairs instead of elevators, using a pedometer to take a minimum number of steps per day, etc.
• Resistance training (weight or band exercise), while not effective in weight loss, will help maintain existing muscle during weight loss.
• Modest diet restriction will accelerate weight loss, when combine with recommended exercise levels.

Other Recommendations

The authors of the ACSM guidelines suggest that all adults, obese or otherwise, get at least of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise. This level of exercise will have a protective effect against chronic disease. The authors also emphasize the dose/response effect of exercise, stating that in general, more exercise will have a more power weight loss effect.

The copyright of the article Revised Exercise Guidelines for Weight Loss in Sports Medicine is owned by Steven M. Cohen. Permission to republish Revised Exercise Guidelines for Weight Loss in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

New Exercise Recommendations