Appendix
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General Medicine

National Guidelines for Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining good health and quality of life. Physical activity benefits everyone regardless of age, fitness level, or underlying clinical conditions. Physical activity is linked with positive health outcomes that accumulate immediately after initiating physical activity; however, most Americans do not meet the current aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise guidelines. This lack of physical activity is associated with decreased quality of life, increa

v1 · Reviewed Nov 8, 2026 by Automated Clinical Reviewer (Strict Verbatim v1)
  • insufficient physical activity in all age groups not only increases all-cause mortality
  • serious falls
  • cognitive impairment
  • fatal heat stroke, especially in older individuals
  • The clinical nurse can score patient questionnaires about physical activity at preventive visits to identify those at risk of inactivity-related adverse outcomes.
  • Pre-exercise evaluation is required if they suffer from exercise-related health problems.
  • All individuals should be physically active
  • Current guidelines state that bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity promote health benefits regardless of the duration and, therefore, can count towards meeting overall exercise goals.
  • Moderate-intensity (3 to 5.9 metabolic equivalents) aerobic exercise for 150 to 300 minutes, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity (>6 metabolic equivalents) aerobic exercise, or an equivalent combination of MVPA averaged weekly.
  • Adults should also engage in muscle-strengthening exercises such as weight-lifting or sit-ups at least 2 to 3 times weekly rather than on consecutive days.
  • Balance training and fall prevention exercises should also be performed at least 3 times per week to reduce the risk of age-related function loss.
  • Women should be encouraged to perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly during pregnancy and following delivery.
  • Adults with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, osteoarthritis, and HIV are encouraged to perform moderate-intensity exercise (150-300 minutes) or vigorous-aerobic activity (75-150 minutes) weekly.
  • They should also do muscle-strengthening exercises at least 2 or 3 times weekly.
  • Moving more and sitting less throughout the day is the recommended motto
  • Increasing physical activity should be gradual as fitness improves.
  • Generally, inactive people should begin with low-intensity exercises and gradually increase duration or frequency, preferably over multiple weeks.
  • People with chronic medical conditions should consult a health care professional or a physical activity specialist before starting an activity program.
  • Patients with asthma should be mindful of their environmental triggers, which might lead to exacerbations.
  • Some specialists recommend indoor activities during cold weather and the spring allergy season if necessary.
  • All patients should be mindful of high temperatures and humidity during the summer.
  • Patients taking medications such as nitroglycerin or phosphodiesterase inhibitors must be cautious as these agents may cause hypotension if taken before physical activity.
  • Some anticholinergics to treat dementia or cognitive impairment may inhibit sweating and lead to hyperthermia or fatal heat stroke, especially in older individuals.
  • Activities that involve lying supine and increasing intrabdominal pressure, such as sit-ups and leg raises, should be avoided after the first trimester of pregnancy.
  • Contact or collision sports and activities with a high risk of falling or trauma should be avoided.
  • High-intensity exercises should be avoided in patients with severe retinopathy and autonomic neuropathy.
  • When 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week cannot be tolerated, older adults should be as physically active as possible.
  • The interprofessional team should develop programs aligned with the guidelines to help individuals achieve physical activity goals.
  • Programs do not need to provide all the recommended activity goals for each patient.
  • However, successful programs will meet the following criteria:
  • They provide patient education consistent with the national physical activity guidelines.
  • They include descriptions of types of activity that count toward meeting the guidelines.
  • They advise patients on the benefits of stretching, warming up, and cooling down to perform physical activity safely and effectively.
  • review
    National Guidelines for Physical Activity. StatPearls [Internet] — FNU Riya, Sarosh Vaqar — StatPearls Publishing, 2023

Decision support only. Verify against local protocols and current labeling. Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov