How much is enough when it comes to physical activity and preventing or reducing the likelihood of developing chronic health conditions like obesity or hypertension?

That question was posed and answered in a Sep. 2024 study in the Journal of Health and Sport Science.

Let’s take a look at the different ways your physical activity habits can influence the likelihood of developing obesity, hypertension, or other chronic diseases.

Credit: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock

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What the Study Says

The paper in question is titled, “Physical activity volume, frequency, and intensity: Associations with hypertension and obesity over 21 years in Australian women,” published by authors Mielke et al. (1)

Purpose: The authors set out to determine whether frequency or intensity of physical activity meaningfully impacted the occurrence of hypertension or obesity.

In simpler terms, the authors investigated whether regular walking was enough to deter or eliminate the risk of certain chronic health conditions.

Findings

Physical activity levels were inversely associated with risk of developing obesity or hypertension.

Exercise frequency did not have a substantial impact on the risk of developing these health conditions; exercise volume, however, was more relevant.

Participants who engaged in higher amounts of vigorous activity had slightly lower odds of developing hypertension.

Put simply, as long as you cross a certain threshold of regular physical activity, how you get there doesn’t matter so much in terms of mitigating the risk of chronic health conditions.

What You Should Do

If you’re worried about mitigating your risk of obesity or other health conditions, Mielke & colleagues’ work should be encouraging. The authors observed their participants over a period of 21 years and came to a tangible, practical conclusion — how you exercise isn’t as important as exercising regularly, and at times, vigorously.

Walking is accessible, easy to begin, and is positively correlated with all-cause mortality up to around 8,000 steps per day. (2)

If you like lifting weights, fret not — studies show that strength training can confer many of the same cardiovascular benefits as running, swimming, or other “cardio” workouts. (3)

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References

Mielke GI, Ding D, Keating SE, Nunes BP, Brady R, Brown WJ. Physical activity volume, frequency, and intensity: Associations with hypertension and obesity over 21 years in Australian women. J Sport Health Sci. 2024 Sep;13(5):631-641. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2024.05.004. Epub 2024 May 10. PMID: 38735532; PMCID: PMC11282338.

Inoue K, Tsugawa Y, Mayeda ER, Ritz B. Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e235174. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.5174. Erratum in: JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Apr 3;6(4):e2311413. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11413. PMID: 36976556; PMCID: PMC10051082.

Liu Y, Lee DC, Li Y, Zhu W, Zhang R, Sui X, Lavie CJ, Blair SN. Associations of Resistance Exercise with Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Mar;51(3):499-508. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001822. PMID: 30376511; PMCID: PMC7385554.

Featured Image: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock

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