Bummer Alert: The Minimum Exercise Guidelines Arent Enough to Stop Weight Gain

Squeezing in just enough exercise to do your heart a solid may not be enough to do your waistline any favors. A new study in the British Journal of Medicine reveals that following the current physical activity guidelines isn't enough to ward off long-term weight gain.

The American College of Sports Medicine currently advises a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week—an amount shown to be sufficient to lower your risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

But can that protect you from extra pounds? Maybe not. When the Norwegian researchers tracked the weight and exercise habits of nearly 20,000 people over an 11-year period, they found that women who met these exercise recommendations still gained 19 pounds, compared to 21 pounds among the women who didn't exercise at all.

MORE: Lose up to 30 Pounds in 30 Days by exercising once a WEEK!

Here's an even bigger bummer: The ladies who exceeded the suggested amount of activity still walked away from the study with an extra eight pounds—a large enough amount that you'd notice a difference, although that is significantly less weight gain than the inactive and less active women experienced.

The researchers say that exercise combats weight gain in a "dose-response" manner, which essentially means the more you do, the lower your odds of obesity are. They don't recommend a specific amount of activity to overcome long-term weight gain, but the message is clear: Doing the bare minimum won't help keep the number you see on the scale steady.

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