In the United States, too few individuals get the recommended physical activity they need to stay healthy. It is estimated that in 2010 approximately one-third of all U.S. adults (18 years and older) participated in absolutely no leisure-time physical activity.

Part of the problem is that pervasive technologies such as escalators, elevators, cars, and moving sidewalks have eliminated the need for much activity or exertion. In addition, people spend time watching television and playing video games instead of, say, playing touch football or taking walks, and office jobs have replaced some manual labor. Americans sit, on average, for four hours a day, but a 2012 study reported that if Americans reduced this to less than three hours a day, they would live, on average, two years longer.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults participate in at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week plus muscle strengthening activities, or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week plus muscle strengthening activities, or an equivalent combination of the two. Relatively modest amounts of physical activity will improve the fitness of inactive people, but people who want to reap substantial health benefits such as weight maintenance, or reducing the risk of diabetes or heart disease, may need to participate in more than 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. To achieve significant weight loss, more than 45 minutes most days of the week would be needed.

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The American College of Sports Medicine aligns with the United States Department of Health and Human Services to convey the message that any amount of exercise is better than none. Even modest amounts of exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With an environment that fosters a sedentary lifestyle, pursuits of opportunities to move more must be intentional. Most people are not professional athletes for whom exercise is inherent in their jobs. Scheduling walks or runs with friends, taking the stairs whenever possible, enrolling in exercise or dance classes, participating in recreational sports, tracking and boosting the number of steps you take per day by wearing a pedometer or downloading a tracking app on your phone, or just sitting less can all help increase physical activity and personal fitness.

So has Benardot’s strategy for eating to win made a difference for Hubbell? Yes—in several important ways. Seven months after she weighed in at 22% body fat, she was tested again. She had lost three pounds and had built two-and-a-half pounds of muscle, giving her a body fat percentage of a little more than 15%— a 32% drop. “And it was crazy how much different I felt,” she says. Training sessions were still hard, of course, but she felt stronger and better able to tackle the challenges that her routines presented. “As hard as the sport is, your muscles can do it, your body can do it—it’s just whether you’re feeding them and making sure they have the right things to use for energy,” she says.

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