HHS Wants Evidence on Step Counts and Muscle Strengthening for the Physical Activity Guidelines. Comments Close Nov. 12.
A Federal Register notice published Oct. 13 asks for evidence to inform a 2027 supplement to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines that would add federal step-count and muscle-strengthening guidance. The docket is HHS-OASH-2026-0463.
The Department of Health and Human Services published a notice on Oct. 13 asking for public comment to inform a supplement to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. The supplement, titled the 2027 Steps and Muscle-Strengthening Guidance, would add new science-based guidance on step counts and on muscle-strengthening activity.
The notice does not propose a step target or any other number. It is a request for evidence, so there is no draft text to react to yet, and it gives no date for the supplement itself beyond its 2027 title.
What the current guidelines say
HHS released the first edition of the Guidelines in 2008 and the second in 2018. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the second edition tells adults to get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, such as brisk walking, plus muscle-strengthening activity, such as lifting weights or push-ups, on at least 2 days a week. Its first key guideline for adults is to move more and sit less, and it dropped the first edition's rule that only bouts of 10 minutes or longer counted.
The 2018 edition sets its aerobic targets in minutes, not steps, so a federal step-count recommendation would be new. The muscle-strengthening guidance already exists as a days-per-week minimum, and the supplement would add to it.
What HHS is asking for
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion issued the request. It invites comments that point to existing high-quality, evidence-based reports, programs or campaigns on steps or muscle-strengthening activity and link them to positive health outcomes. The notice poses no numbered questions.
Comments go through regulations.gov under docket HHS-OASH-2026-0463 and are accepted until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 12. Individuals and organizations may submit more than one comment. Each should include supporting documentation for its scientific justification, such as verifiable data sets, links to case studies or published research papers. HHS suggests complete citations or abstracts with links to full articles rather than attachments. No meetings are announced.
HHS says it decides on the scientific justification for a recommendation, not on how many comments argue for or against it.
How comments will be used
The team of federal experts supporting the Guidelines will review the comments. The notice states that HHS does not base policy recommendations on the number of comments for or against a topic. It describes the Guidelines as the benchmark and primary, authoritative voice of the federal government on physical activity, fitness and health, and cites Sections 1703 and 1704 of the Public Health Service Act as its authority.
What to do now
The notice is aimed at people who hold evidence: researchers who study step counts or resistance training, and practices or health systems that run exercise programs with measured outcomes. If you have published or verifiable data in a specific population, a short comment with full citations and links is the form HHS asks for. For most clinicians, current counseling stays the same, with 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity and 2 days of strengthening, until a supplement appears. Practices already collecting activity data through remote monitoring programs will want to see which evidence the final guidance relies on before they set step targets for patients.
Reported, fact-checked and edited by The Script Pad's editorial staff.
This article is for professional education and does not replace clinical judgment. Treatment decisions should be based on the individual patient and current guidelines.
