Exercise

Exercise & Physical Activity

Physical activity, exercise, or movement is anything that gets your body moving and burning calories! It can be as simple as simple as walking to the store, and as complex as training for a triathlon. 

There are two main forms of physical activity: aerobic exercises and strength & stretching exercises.
  • Aerobic exercises make your heart beat faster and benefits your heart, lungs, and blood vessels by making them stronger and more fit. They include activities like walking fast, running, swimming, and playing sports like basketball. 

  • Strength and stretching exercises are activities that work your muscles more than when you do normal daily activities. They are best for overall stamina and flexibility. Examples include lifting weights and push-ups. 


There are different levels of difficulty, or intensity, with physical activity.
  • Moderate-intensity exercises use less energy than vigorous-intensity. Activities include things like line dancing, biking on level ground, tennis, gardening, walking briskly and water aerobics.
  • Vigorous-intensity exercises include things like aerobic dance, martial arts, jumping rope, and sports with lots of running.
A good way to figure out what level of intensity you are doing is to try and talk! If you are doing a moderate-intensity activity, you should be able to talk while you exercise, but not sing. If you are doing a vigorous-intensity activity, you should only be able to say a few words without pausing to catch your breath. 


Why is Physical Activity Important ?

Physical activity has many benefits and reduces the risk of getting many diseases. Here are some of the benefits:
  • Weight loss and control
  • Reduced risk of heart disease
  • Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
  • Reduced risk of some cancers, including breast and colon cancer
  • Stronger bones and muscles
  • Improved mental health and mood
  • Reduced risk of falls, particularly for the elderly
  • Improved ability to do normal daily activities
  • Increased chance of living longer
  • Stronger immune system
  • Helps to quit smoking
  • Improved blood cholesterol
  • Reduces and controls blood pressure
  • Increased energy
  • Decreased stress and tension
  • Improved quality of sleep


Recommendations


Being active can seem like a huge challenge, so the best thing you can do is go at your own pace. Start slow and work your way up. Set doable goals for yourself that fit into your life. Remember, some activity is better than none, and more activity with higher intensity means more benefits!


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), and the American Heart Association (AHA) have come up with some general guidelines for physical activity for different age groups. Find yours below!

Children and Adolescents (aged 6-17)


  • Children and adolescents should do 1 hour (60 minutes) or more of physical activity everyday. 
    • Most of the 1 hour or more a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
  • As part of their daily physical activity, children and adolescents should do vigorous-intensity activity on at least 3 days per week. 
  • They also should do muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity on at least 3 days per week.


Adults (aged 18-64)


  • Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate-and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. 
    • Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week. 
    • Additional health benefits are provided by increasing to 5 hours (300 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
  • Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups performed on 2 or more days per week.


Older Adults (aged 65 and older)


  • Older adults should follow the adult guidelines. If this is not possible due to limiting chronic conditions, older adults should be as physically active as their abilities allow. They should avoid inactivity. 
  • Older adults should do exercises that maintain or improve balance if they are at risk of falling.


Special populations

Adults with diabetes
  • Follow the adult guidelines. If this is not possible, these persons should be as physically active as their abilities allow. They should avoid inactivity. 
Children and Adolescents with disabilities
  • When possible, these children should meet the guidelines for children and adolescents—or as much activity as their condition allows. Children and adolescents should avoid being inactive.
Pregnant and Postpartum Women

  • Healthy women who are not already doing vigorous-intensity physical activity should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. Preferably, this activity should be spread throughout the week. 
  • Women who regularly engage in vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or high amounts of activity can continue their activity provided that their condition remains unchanged and they talk to their health care provider about their activity level throughout their pregnancy.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here are some of the biggest questions people ask about exercise. 

What’s the best way to lose weight from specific parts of my body?

It’s a common myth that you can target parts of your body for weight loss, like doing sit-ups to loose weight around your middle.The best way to loose weight, from anywhere on your body, is through exercising big muscle groups in your body, like your legs, chest, and back, and through aerobic exercise like dancing, running, biking, or swimming. These forms of exercise consume a lot of calories and burn fat much better than exercises that target specific parts of your body and use less energy.


How much exercise do I need every week?

The physical activity recommendations can be found above.It might look like a lot, but don’t worry! The recommendation is really just 20-30 minutes of exercise a day. For more information, check out the links on the Resources page.

What are calories and are they bad for me?

This is another thing people are often confused about.Calories are the energy our bodies use. Calories themselves aren’t bad things.Too many calories can be bad for our bodies. If we eat more calories than we use burn with exercise, we gain weight. Another important thing to remember is that all calories are not the same.Some calories are better than others. The energy you get from a chicken salad or fruit is much better than the calories you get from soda or a candy bar. The big point here: our bodies need healthy calories and exercise to help burn off calories we don't want stored as fat. 

References:

The American Heart Association: Physical Activity 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans -http://www.health.gov/PAGuidelines/default.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity  http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/index.html

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