"Regular exercise is probably the best prescription for healthy aging, reports Consumer Reports. But fewer than 1 in 5 adults 65 or older gets the minimum recommended amount."

"That minimum amount is 2½ hours of moderate-​intensity aerobic exercise every week. We’re talking about walking briskly or cycling at a level where you can talk but not sing, and at least two full-​body strength workouts per week."

“'This amount has been shown to help reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and decreased cognitive function,' says Judith Regensteiner, Ph.D. She’s the director and a founder of the Center for Women’s Health Research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora."

Athletic Footwear Shoppers enjoy a lot of inside activities that could be keeping them from getting the recommended daily amount of exercise. For example, according to AudienceSCAN, within the past month, 48.5% of this audience has played online games. Additionally, within the last six months, 64% have been using mobile devices to watch online or streamed videos. Many also enjoy going to the movies where, within the past year, 36.2% took action after seeing an ad in the theater.

"If meeting a 3‑hour-​plus weekly exercise bar seems daunting, there’s still good reason to do whatever amount you can squeeze in. According to Regensteiner, even going below this minimum is probably effective. And some recent research appears to bear this out."

"In the small study, healthy but sedentary young adults climbed three flights of stairs three times a day three days a week for six weeks. The study subjects warmed up before and cooled down after, and were told to climb the stairs as fast and safely as they could, one step at a time."

"After six weeks, they saw their cardiorespiratory (aerobic) fitness improve by 5% and showed 12% more power during a cycling test."

"These effects aren't just found among young people. A study released in February by the journal Hypertension found that in a small group of sedentary, overweight or obese adults between 55 and 80 years old, just 30 minutes of walking in the morning kept blood pressure lower, on average, throughout the day. The effect was more pronounced in women when they also took short (3 minute) walking breaks every half-hour."“'When you go from doing no activity to any amount, you see a marked decline in the risk of premature death from any cause,' says Alpa Patel, Ph.D., strategic director of the Cancer Prevention Study‑3 at the American Cancer Society. 'Then you see a continued added benefit with additional amounts. But the greatest jump is from being sedentary to doing something.'

"If time is a factor, doing shorter but more intense bouts of exercise is as helpful as longer, moderate sessions. And you don’t have to go all out. 'Even just changing up the intensity every so often, maybe by picking up the pace between light poles as you walk, can deliver health and fitness benefits,' says John Porcari, Ph.D., a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin-​La Crosse."

"3 Easy Ways to Get Started Today

1. Take a walk. It’s underappreciated, but walking is probably the single best exercise for most people.

2. Do what you can. Walk at a pace that’s comfortable; it’s that simple. As you get fitter, you can increase the time and/​or intensity.

3. Break it up. A few short bouts per day are just as helpful as doing longer sessions and can feel more doable. Aim for 10-​minute mini workouts two or three times each day. Go for a walk around the block a couple of times at lunch and repeat before dinner."

Athletic clothing and supply stores can target potential Athletic Footwear Shoppers with ads in many ways. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, 53% of this group took action after receiving an email ad, 51% were motivated by ads on daily deals websites such as Groupon and 50.6% were driven to action by newspaper ads (both print and online). In that same amount of time, they also took action because of TV commercials (68%), print and online magazine ads (49.5%) and outdoor ads (37%). These shoppers are also 35% more likely than other adults to find advertising on their mobile apps useful.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.