What Is Physical Activity?: How Can You Improve?

The term physical activity defines itself as a movement of the body like while exercising and yoga maybe. It’s true but does physical activity really means just exercise and stuff?

World Health Organization defines physical activity as any movement that is produced by all skeletal muscles in the body which is also known as bodily movement, and this movement requires energy expenditure. (Booth, M., 2000. Assessment of physical activity)

How Much Of Physical Activity Is Recommended?

Physical activity refers to all movement including during relief time, for a person’s work, or transport to get to and from places. Both healthy-intensity and moderate physical activity improve health, you just need to follow a proper guideline that suits your body and mind.

To be physically active now, you need to follow some popular guidelines which include walking, cycling, play as well as sports. It can also be done at any level of skill and for the benefit of your body and peacefulness to your mind.

Regular physical activity i.e. consistent in doing exercises and yoga is proven to help prevent and manage many communicable diseases such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and several cancers. It also helps maintain a healthy body weight that comes under a healthy lifestyle.

It helps prevent hypertension and can improve mental health, quality of life, and well-being. Giving just 30 minutes from your daily schedule can help you with the amazing benefits of these physical activities.(according to Thomas, J.R., Nelson, J.K. and Silverman, S.J., 2015. )

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

If you are active doing physical work regularly then you may:

• Reduce your risk of a cardiac arrest
• Manage your body weight with perfect BMI
• Lower the risk of some cancers and type 2 diabetes
• Have lower blood pressure
• Have stronger bones, joints and muscles and lower risk of developing osteoporosis
• Lower your risk of falls
• Have a lower blood cholesterol level
• Recover better from bed rest and periods of hospitalization
• Feel better with boost up energy, feel more relaxed with a better mood and better sleep

A Healthier State of mind 

Numerous studies and researchers have found that exercise and yoga help in the state of anxiety and depression. There are many points of view as to how exercise and yoga help people with anxiousness and depression. Some points are as follows:

• Exercise may distract you from most of the worries that happens in your daily life as well as negative thoughts.
• Exercising with others provides an opportunity to know them and probably leads in increased social contact.
• Concentration on body fitness may lift your mood and improve your sleep patterns leading to proper health.
• Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in your brain, such as serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones.
• Regular exercising promotes healthy lifestyle.

Aim for at least 30 minutes a day

To maintain your health in your early 60s and 70s and to reduce the risk of health problems, many health professionals and researchers recommend everyone to do at least a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise or you can say activity, preferably all days.

Physical Activity Guidelines

Australia’s sedentary behavior and physical guidelines state that:

• Doing some physical activity is better than doing nothing and just resting around. If you’re currently not doing any exercise start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended and after that standard amount.
• Be active on most, preferably all, days every week.
• Accumulate 150 to 300 minutes that is like (2 ½ to 5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes that is (1 ¼ to 2 ½ hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both vigorous and moderate activities, each week must be done.
• Do muscle strengthening activities for bigger muscles with required amount of protein intake, you must be doing this activity for like at least two days each week.

Ways to Increase Physical Activity

Increases the physical activity daily can come from small changes made throughout your daily schedule or you can say routine such as cycling or walking. You could use your bicycle as a substitute for your car, getting off a tram, train, or bus a stop earlier and walking the rest of the way, or walking the children to school. These small changes could help you to attain a standard level of fitness routine.

There’s a say, a small change could make a difference, and yeah, we could easily apply it in here.

See your doctor first

It is a good idea to see your doctor before following any fitness guidelines or starting your physical activity program if:

• You are aged over 40 years
• Physical activity causes pain in your body especially chest
• You often feel light headed or have spells of severe dizziness
• Moderate physical activity that make you very breathless
• If you are at a higher risk of heart disease
• You think you might have heart disease or you have heart problems or any major surgery
• You are pregnant

Conclusion

Pre-exercise is used to identify people with medical conditions that could put them at a higher risk of experiencing a major health problem during physical activity. Physical activity levels can benefit  you in numerous ways as it is very important for a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity is a safety net to help you decide if the potential benefits of exercise and yoga outweigh the risks for you. Hope you find this article informational, do share this gem of information about physical activity and its benefits.