Women and exercise

The Office for Women in the Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs has just released a report on this topic authored by Professor Wendy Brown, Dr Nicola Burton and Dr Kristiann Heesch, Physical activity and health in mid-age and older women.

The benefits of physical activity are well known and this report found that between 2001 and 2004, the percentage of mid-aged women doing 30 minutes of physical activity on most days rose from 45 to 54 per cent - primarily attributed to walking.

Australian guidelines recommend 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activitiy on most days of the week for health benefits. The evidence reviewed in this report suggests that middle-aged or older women gain few, if any, additional health benefits from any more vigorous exercise than this. Interesting.