Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Weight Gain Differ with Every Organization

Exercise guidelines for adults differ among health organizations, depending on whether they emphasize overall health, weight loss or weight maintenance.

Photo: Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Weight Gain Differ with Every Organization

American College of Sports Medicine: Moderate activity 150 to 250 minutes a week to prevent weight gain. Institute of Medicine: 60 minutes a day to prevent becoming overweight.

Department of Health and Human Services: At least 150 minutes a week for health benefits, The Los Angeles Times reports.  

The study is being published in the March 24/31 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"I don't want people to throw up their hands and say 'I can't do it,' " said I. Min Lee, the study's lead researcher and a doctor and associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Women at a normal weight who consume a normal diet can beat middle-age weight gain by working out intensely for 30 minutes a day, whether by running, cycling, swimming laps or working out at a gym.

Weight gain can also be prevented with 60 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking, a leisurely bike ride or playing catch, The Wall Street Journal reported.