How Much Exercise Does an Average American Really Need?

Yes! We all know that we need to eat less and exersice more, if we want to lose some weight. But how much exercise does an average American really needs?

Well…let’s start with how much the average American eats. The average American consumes 3,639 calories per day, according to Business Insider in 2016. Also, according to the Pew Research Center, a 40-year-old man of average height and weight who’s moderately active needs 2,400 calories and a 40-year-old woman with corresponding characteristics needs 1,850 calories. So, 3,639 calories are more than necessary.

A Mayo Clinic study found that the average person needs to exercise 150 minutes a week to remain healthy. Another study have found that most Americans don’t even come close to those 150 minutes.

And the problem never ends, because we weigh more than ever. Dr. David Katz, president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, told CBS News how our modern-day society contributes to the obesity epidemic. “There are many active efforts to combat obesity, but our culture at large is in the business of propagating it for profit, from big food to big media to big pharma. It’s that simple. We do much more, across the expanse of our culture, to foster obesity than to defend against it,” Katz said.

Finally, to lose one pound of body weight, you will need to burn an extra 3,500 calories. The average American eats 3,639 calories per day and, therefore you may need to burn more than the recommended 250 calories daily and cut more than the recommended deficit of 375 calories. If you want some tips, you should do one hour of CrossFit and you will burn, on average, 261 calories. Also, High Intensity Interval Training will help you burn the same number of calories in just 30 minutes.