Floridians might need to get more exercise, study suggests

Been sitting awhile? It could be time to take a walk break.

Why it matters: Many adults don't get the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of exercise a week, but they could hit that number with five 30-minute brisk walks a week, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes .

Driving the news: New data from Apple and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital indicates many of us in the Sunshine State aren't hitting that minimum.

Reality check: That's true even among Floridians who track their fitness data with an Apple Watch — presumably a particularly health-conscious bunch.

• And the CDC also recommends two additional days of muscle-strengthening activity.

By the numbers: Floridians in the Apple and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital study hit that minimum about 50% of the time.

• That was slightly below the national average of 54%.

Zoom in: Among participants in the study, the states with the highest percentage of people getting 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise were Massachusetts (67.2%), New York (66%) and Connecticut (64.1%), followed by California (62.3%).

• Mississippi (38.5%), Louisiana (41.3%), Oklahoma (41.4%) and West Virginia (41.7%) were the states with the lowest proportion of 150-minute exercisers.

💭 Martin's thought bubble: I wonder if Florida's car culture plays a role in our lack of exercise. (One researcher has even found a link between the distance traveled by car each day to a driver's body weight .)

• Here in South Florida, many of us drive everywhere because public transit is unreliable and our cities are too sprawling to make biking or walking convenient. Not to mention the dangerous roadways.

Beyond the physical health benefits, here's another reason to go for a stroll today: to boost your mental health and longevity .

Go deeper: Low-impact exercise is taking off

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