Exercise Attitudes and Behaviors: A Survey of Adults Age 50-79 - Aarp

Current Physical Activity Among Americans 50 and Over
Types/Frequency of Exercise
(by Gender and Age)
Base: Engage in activity (base sizes vary)
In typical week:
Gender Age
Total Men Women 50-59 60-69 70-79
% % % % % %
Walk 10+ minutes* 88 87 88 88 87 87
Median # of minutes/day 29 29 28 30 28 28
Median # of days/week 4.2 4.7 3.9 4.3 4.0 4.1
Do things to increase strength/tone* 32 35 29 37 29 25
Median # of days/week 2.7 2.9 2.6 2.6 3.8 2.6
Moderate physical activity 10+ minutes** 88 89 87 90 88 86
Median # of minutes/day 43 60 32 23 44 45
Median # of days/week 4.2 4.2 4.3 3.9 4.4 4.3
Vigorous physical activity 10+ minutes** 47 57 39 59 49 33
Median # of minutes/day 48 57 32 31 62 58
Median # of days/week 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.8 3.2
“In a typical week, do you ever walk for at least 10 minutes at a time for any reason, including (IF
EMPLOYED: at work), for recreation, for exercise or just to get to and from the places you need to go?” (Q.8)
“On the average, about how many minutes do you spend walking on these days?” (Q.8b) “How many days per
week do you walk for at least 10 minutes at a time?” (Q.8a)
“In a typical week, do you do any things to increase muscle strength or tone, such as lifting weights, pull-ups,
push-ups or sit-ups?” (Q.9) “How many days a week do you do these activities?” (Q.9a)
“Moderate physical activities cause relatively small increases in heart rate and breathing in contrast to
vigorous physical activity, which causes large increases in both heart rate and breathing. Moderate physical
activities might include brisk walking, bicycling, vacuuming, or gardening. In a typical week, do you engage in
moderate physical activities for at least 10 minutes at a time?” (Q.25) “How many days a week do you do these
activities for at least 10 minutes at a time?” (Q.26) “On the average, about how many minutes do you spend
engaging in moderate physical activity on one of these days?” (Q.27)
“Now, vigorous physical activities cause large increases in heart rate and breathing. Vigorous physical
activities might include running, aerobics, or heavy yard work. In a typical week, do you engage in vigorous
physical activities for at least 10 minutes at a time?” (Q.28) “How many days a week do you do these activities
for at least 10 minutes at a time?” (Q.29) “On the average, about how many minutes do you spend engaging in
vigorous physical activity on one of these days?” (Q.30)
Sources: * first wave; ** second wave
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