Physical Activity

Regular physical activity helps improve overall health and reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Disease

To prevent cardiovascular disease, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends intensive behavioral counseling to promote physical activity for people with known cardiovascular risk factors. Physical activity can also help people with cardiovascular disease manage their conditions; exercise training has been shown to have a positive effect on people with certain types of heart failure, and cardiac rehabilitation, which includes physical activity training, helps improve the health of people who have had a heart attack or bypass surgery.

Despite the substantial health benefits of physical activity one out of every four U.S. adults report being inactive during their leisure time, and only about half of U.S. adults report levels of aerobic physical activity consistent with national guidelines. There are evidence-based strategies to promote physical activity that can be put into action where people live, learn, work, and play, including behavioral counseling for adults with cardiovascular risk factors and designing safe community spaces that encourage activity.

Featured Resource

Tools & Resources

For Clinicians

• Move Your Way
  The Move Your Way tools, videos, and fact sheets on this page have tips that make it easier to get a little more active. Small changes can add up to big health benefits.

• The Fact Sheet for Health Care Providers [PDF – 502 KB] offers tips for talking with patients about the Physical Activity Guidelines and how to meet them.
• National Diabetes Prevention Program
  The National Diabetes Prevention Program is a CDC-recognized, research-based lifestyle change program designed to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, help lower the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, and improve overall health.
• Walk with a Doc
  Developed by a cardiologist, Walk with a Doc is a program whose mission is to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages through physician-led walking groups.
• Arthritis Foundation: Walk with Ease
  Walk with Ease is a community-based walking program developed by the Arthritis Foundation. It is offered in a group or a self-directed format and helps people learn to walk safely and develop the habit of walking regularly.
• The National ParkRx Initiative
  ParkRx is an initiative that encourages people to be physically activity in parks and public land through Park Prescription programs.

For Public Health

• Mall Walking: A Program Resource Guide  [PDF – 5.2 MB]
  The mall walking guide provides information about the health benefits of walking, explains why mall walking programs can help people walk more, and provides practical strategies for starting and maintaining walking programs.
• Promoting Airport Walking: A Guide  [PDF – 2.4 MB]
  The airport walking guide was developed for airport managers, as part of CDC’s Walk to Fly project to encourage airport travelers to make more active choices by using signs to encourage people to walk through the airport.
• The National ParkRx Initiative
  ParkRx is an initiative that encourages people to be physically activity in parks and public land through Park Prescription programs.
• Smart Growth America
  Smart Growth America is dedicated to encouraging smart growth practices to build great neighborhoods and create healthy communities.
• America Walks
  America Walks offers resources for increasing walking and expanding walkable communities.

For Individuals

• Move Your Way
  The Move Your Way tools, videos, and fact sheets on this page have tips that make it easier to get a little more active.
  • The Fact Sheet for Adults has information about why regular physical activity is important, what kinds of activity adults need, and how to get it.
• Every Body Walk!
  Every Body Walk! is a campaign aimed at getting Americans up and moving. This site features information about the health benefits of walking, news, videos, and events.
• GirlTrek
  GirlTrek is a movement for African-American women and girls that encourages healthy, fulfilled lives through a habit of daily walking.

References

• Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition
  The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides evidence-based guidance to help Americans maintain or improve their health through physical activity.
• Trends in Meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines, 2008—2018 [PDF – 247 KB]
  This one-pager describes trends in meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans for 2008 through 2018.
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement for Healthful Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Adults with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Behavioral Counseling
  The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends offering or referring adults who are overweight or obese and have additional cardiovascular disease risk factors to intensive behavioral counseling interventions to promote a healthful diet and physical activity for cardiovascular disease prevention. (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, August 2014)
• Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities  [PDF – 1.3 MB]
  This report presents five goals and implementation strategies to help Americans be physically active and for the nation to better support walking and walkable communities for people of all ages and abilities. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015)
• Community Preventive Services Task Force: Physical Activity: Recommendation on Built Environment Approaches Combining Transportation System Interventions with Land Use and Environmental Design
  The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends built environment approaches that combine one or more interventions to improve pedestrian or bicycle transportation systems with one or more land use and environmental design interventions, based on evidence of effectiveness in increasing physical activity. (Community Preventive Services Task Force, December 2016)
• National Physical Activity Plan
  This comprehensive set of policies, programs, and initiatives aims to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population. (National Physical Activity Plan Alliance, 2016)
• MMWR: Trends in Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines Among Urban and Rural Dwelling Adults — United States, 2008–2017
  Since 2008, the prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines increased from 19.4% to 25.3% among urban residents and from 13.3% to 19.6% among rural residents. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 2019)
• MMWR: Physical Inactivity Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older—United States, 2014
  Despite the many benefits of being physically active, approximately 1 in 4 adults 50 or older is inactive. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 2016)
• MMWR: Adults Eligible for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Counseling and Participation in Aerobic Physical Activity—United States, 2013
  One in five U.S. adults is eligible to receive intensive behavioral counseling for cardiovascular disease prevention and is not getting the recommended level of aerobic physical activity and could benefit from increasing their physical activity level. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 2015)
• Walking as an Opportunity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
  About two out of every three adults without CVD or any risk factors reported walking for leisure or transportation, and the prevalence decreases with increasing risk factors or CVD.
• CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation^SM: Creating an Active America, Together
  Commentary describing the goals and action steps of the initiative aiming to improve physical activity among 2.5 million high school youth and 25 million adults.