Fitness
What is Americans’ favorite exercise? New study reveals a surprising trend in fitness habits
A study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, drawing on survey responses from almost 400,000 U.S. adults. The objective was to know which leisure-time physical activities people prefer and whether those options align with federal activity guidelines.
Walking is most popular but not the most effective for fitness goals
The results were notable. Walking appeared as the most frequently reported leisure-time physical activity across both urban and rural groups. In fact, roughly 44.1% of adults indicated that walking was their main form of exercise.
However, popularity did not translate into achieving recommended health standards. Based on the analysis, individuals who primarily walked had the highest likelihood of not meeting either aerobic or muscle-strengthening guidelines compared with other exercise categories. Even more significant, only about one in four walkers (25%) satisfied both recommended benchmarks, while approximately 22% failed to meet either requirement at all. In contrast, participants who reported running, resistance training, or conditioning workouts as their primary activities were considerably more likely to achieve federal physical activity targets.
What the guidelines actually require
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults get:
- At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
- Plus muscle-strengthening exercises on two to three days per week
While walking can contribute to aerobic activity mainly if done briskly, it generally does not fulfill the strength-training requirement on its own.
Rural vs urban differences in activity patterns
The study also revealed geographic variations in exercise behavior. Rural residents were more likely to participate in activities such as gardening, hunting, and fishing, whereas urban residents showed higher engagement in running, cycling, dancing, and weight training. Despite differing preferences, urban participants were overall more likely to meet both aerobic and strength-based guidelines compared to rural populations. Researchers suggest that access to facilities, infrastructure availability, and cultural influences may contribute to these differences.
Why this matters: muscle is a key part of health
A key takeaway from the study is that physical activity guidelines are not just about movement, but about different types of movement. Walking supports cardiovascular fitness and daily activity levels, but it does not significantly develop or preserve muscle mass. This distinction is important because muscle deterioration begins gradually with age. Research indicates that adults may lose around 3% to 8% of muscle mass per decade after age 30, a condition known as sarcopenia. This decline is associated with slower metabolism, increased fat storage, reduced mobility, and higher risk of falls and fractures in later life.
Resistance training helps counteract this decline. Studies show it can increase lean muscle mass, boost resting metabolic rate by approximately 7%, and reduce body fat. A large meta-analysis also found resistance training linked to:
- 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality
- 19% lower cardiovascular disease mortality
- 14% lower cancer mortality
The most notable benefits were observed with around 60 minutes per week of resistance exercise, making it a time-efficient health strategy. Additionally, resistance training supports mental well-being by improving mood and increasing BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which promotes brain health and neural growth.
What truly makes the difference
The study aligns with broader longevity research suggesting that higher-effort activities tend to deliver stronger physiological benefits.
Running, weight training, and conditioning workouts share a common feature: they sufficiently challenge the body to trigger adaptation. Walking, although beneficial, generally remains in a lower-intensity range that may not fully satisfy all fitness requirements on its own.
In practical terms:
- Walking supports general cardiovascular health, mental well-being, and daily movement
- Resistance training builds and preserves muscle, supports metabolism, and reduces age-related decline
- Higher-intensity cardio (running, cycling, HIIT) improves cardiovascular fitness more efficiently and helps meet aerobic goals faster
Expert perspective from the study
The researchers emphasized that the findings are not meant to discourage walking but to emphasize gaps between perception and results.
As lead researcher Christiaan Abildso explained:
“We expected to see that walking would continue to be the most common physical activity. However, it was surprising to see that nearly one in four adults who walk as their main activity did not meet either of the physical activity guidelines. That is, they reported less than the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and fewer than the recommended two days per week of muscle-strengthening activity, such as yoga or exercises with resistance bands,”
He also pointed to wider environmental and structural elements influencing activity levels:
“What we might be seeing in these rural–urban differences in preferences may just reflect what people have access to or what is culturally supported. In our work, we see a need to continue to support our partners in small towns and rural places by creating physical, social, and cultural conditions that support physical activity. This could mean creating a wide shoulder on a country road for running and cycling, helping a senior centre with their chair exercise programming, creating or improving park spaces, expanding the national network of rail trails, renovating abandoned and dilapidated structures (brownfields) into viable activity centres, keeping school facilities open to the public, and many other strategies. Everyone needs to ask, ‘how does what we’re doing affect physical activity?’, in order to help get people more active, more often, in more places,”
FAQs:
1. Is walking good for health?
Yes, walking supports heart health and general well-being. It is a low-impact activity suitable for most people.
2. Can walking replace all exercise?
Not entirely, because it does not build muscle strength effectively. A balanced routine usually includes strength training.
Fitness
Alexandra Daddario, 40, Relies on This Underrated Crunch Upgrade for Strong Abs – Here’s How to Do It Properly
From enduring some serious physical prep for Baywatch to working consistently with elite trainer Patrick Murphy, Alexandra Daddario’s dedication to fitness is well-documented. She often shares insights on social media, and in a recent Instagram post, the White Lotus star gave an insight into how she trains her core with one powerhouse movement: the reverse crunch into shoulder stand.
Why is it so good? Most traditional ab exercises require repetitive spinal flexion—the process of pulling your chest down toward your knees, like in a standard crunch. This isolates only the upper section of your abs, and for women who spend hours sitting at a desk, it can reinforce a slouched, rounded posture.
Daddario’s movement flips the mechanics entirely since you actively curl your pelvis up toward your chest. In doing so, you target not only your upper abs, but the lower portion and your obliques (the sides) simultaneously, all while keeping your chest open and your neck unstrained. This translates into a much stronger core, better posture and crucial lower back protection. Research also shows that a controlled posterior tilt – the lower-body curl that initiates Daddario’s move – recruits a significantly higher percentage of deep core muscle fibers than traditional crunches.
Daddario then drives her hips directly up into a vertical shoulder stand. This completely removes momentum from the equation (meaning you can’t “cheat”) and forces your abs—particularly your obliques—to balance your body and prevent you from tipping sideways.
She then takes it one step further into a Pilates plow position with her legs overhead, before reversing the movement and, again, using her abs to control the lowering of her entire lower body as she slowly unrolls her spine down onto the mat. The plow portion is optional (and super advanced); the slow, controlled, lowering phase, which happens whether you move into plow or not, is where the magic happens, challenging your core through both lifting and resisting gravity. Inspired? Here’s exactly how to do the move with good form, and how many reps and sets to aim for.
How to do a reverse crunch into shoulder stand
- Lie on your back (either on a mat, or on a reformer Pilates machine, like Daddario, with your arms anchored tightly to the floor.
- Engage your core to curl your knees toward your chest, then fluidly press your feet straight up toward the ceiling, lifting your hips and lower back off the floor.
- Slowly lower down, one vertebra at a time. Aim for 3 sets of 6-8 controlled reps.
Optional progression:
- As you reach shoulder stand with your legs extended to the ceiling, slowly start to lower your toes toward the floor over your head. Your weight should rest entirely on your shoulders and upper back – not your neck.
- Keeping your legs straight, use your core to extend them straight back up to the ceiling, then control the descent by rolling your spine down one vertebra at a time, with your legs remaining straight.
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
Fitness
Steffie Bryant, Alistair Brownlee to Share AI, Performance Insights at European Congress – Health & Fitness Association
From artificial intelligence to elite sport, the HFA European Congress keynote speakers will explore the forces reshaping health and fitness around the world.
By Lia Palazzo, Manager of Public Affairs
Steffie Bryant and Alistair Brownlee are set to offer the two keynote addresses at the 2026 HFA European Congress.
Artificial intelligence and high-performance leadership will take center stage at the 2026 HFA European Congress, where Keepme.ai President Steffie Bryant and two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee will headline the annual gathering of fitness industry leaders.
The Congress, scheduled for September 24-26 at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will bring together executives, operators, suppliers, investors, and innovators from more than 35 countries to explore the trends shaping the future of health and fitness.
Bryant will open the event on September 24 with a keynote examining how artificial intelligence is transforming fitness businesses. As president of Keepme.ai, she has helped clubs adopt AI-driven tools to strengthen member engagement, improve operations, and drive sustainable growth. Her session will focus on how operators can leverage emerging technology while maintaining a people-first approach. Her keynote is sponsored by Keepme.ai.
Brownlee will headline the second day of the Congress, sharing lessons from Olympic competition, entrepreneurship, and health innovation. The only athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the individual triathlon, Brownlee is also founder of sports nutrition company truefuels, an investor in health and wellness companies, and co-founder of the Brownlee Foundation, which promotes youth participation in sport.
The speaker lineup reflects this year’s Congress theme, One Vision. One Voice., which focuses on the role innovation, collaboration, and leadership will play in the next chapter of the global fitness industry.
In addition to the keynote presentations, attendees will hear from more than 40 speakers from the fitness sector and related industries addressing trends, GLP-1 usage and exercise, emerging markets to watch, investment opportunities, retention, payment ecosystems, corporate wellness, community initiatives, and more. The full schedule can be viewed here and includes time to connect with suppliers in the Sponsor Marketplace. On September 26, attendees can participate in club and studio tours across London. The club tours can be added at the time of registration.
Presented in partnership with ukactive and hosted by industry leader David Minton of EVOLVE, the HFA European Congress is the industry’s premier European event, offering business leaders insight into emerging trends, new technologies, and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR THE SIERRA FRONT... * Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 420 Northern Sierra Front including Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon, and Far Southern Lassen Counties. * Winds...West 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. * Humidity...Afternoon minimums of 12 to 20 percent. * Duration...2 to 5 hours Friday with 3 to 8 hours Saturday. * Impacts...The combination of gusty winds and dry fuels can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires. Follow local fire restrictions. Check weather.gov/reno for updates and livingwithfire.info for preparedness tips. &&
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR WASHOE LAKE... * WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph for Washoe Lake. * WHERE...Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Small boats, kayaks and paddle boards will be prone to capsizing and should remain off lake waters until conditions improve. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds may briefly subside tonight before increasing again early Saturday morning. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Check lake conditions before heading out and be prepared for a sudden increase in winds and wave heights. Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind. &&
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