MINNEAPOLIS -- A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that as women get older they need 60 minutes or more of moderate physical activity everyday to maintain their weight.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston tracked the activity and weight of more than 34,000 women over 13 years to come up with the findings.
"I've have had the idea that it takes 30 minutes so 60 seems like more, kind of discouraging," lamented Jean Parurus as she walked around Lake Harriet Wednesday afternoon.
Sixty minutes may seem almost impossible to fit in on a daily basis but there are ways to get the exercise you need according to Prevention Magazine Fitness Expert Chris Freytag.
"If you can't do an hour of moderate walking then do 30 minutes of vigorous activity. Get on a treadmill, get on your elliptical and go for it. Divide it up. Ten minutes here, ten minutes there, it's going to make the difference," said Freytag.
The study does say that you can break up the exercise as long as it is in 10 minute segments or longer and 30 minutes of vigorous activity is equal to 60 minutes of moderate activity.
It also tracked women who didn't change their diet to try to lose weight. Chris Freytag also adds that making healthy choices about what you eat can go a long way toward maintaining a healthy weight.
She suggests that women add a little strength training to their workouts because muscle burns more fat.
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