Benefits of Physical Activity

Benefits of Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Everyone can experience the health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities, ethnicity, shape, or size do not matter.

If you’re not sure about becoming active or boosting your level of physical activity because you’re afraid of getting hurt, the good news is that moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, is generally safe for most people.

Immediate Benefits of Physical Activity: Improve Your Brain Health and Mood!

Some of the benefits of physical activity on brain health happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as improved thinking or cognition and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.

Weight Management

Looking to get to or stay at a healthy weight? Both diet and physical activity play a critical role in maintaining a healthy body weight, losing excess body weight, or maintaining successful weight loss. You gain weight when you consume more calories through eating and drinking than the amount of calories you burn, including those burned during physical activity. It’s important to balance calories. When it comes to weight management, people vary greatly in how much physical activity they need. You may need to be more active than others to reach or maintain a healthy weight.

To maintain your weight: Work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week). Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity can help you maintain your weight over time. However, the exact amount of physical activity needed to do this is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person. It’s possible that you may need to do more than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to maintain your weight.

To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your diet and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan.

Reduce Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Following the recommendations and getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.

Reduce Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which you have some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. Research shows that people start to see benefits at levels of physical activity below the recommended 150 minutes a week, and additional amounts of physical activity seem to lower risk even more.

Already have type 2 diabetes? Regular physical activity can help you control your blood glucose levels. To find out more, visit Diabetes and Me.

Reduce Your Risk of Some Cancers

Being physically active lowers your risk for developing several commonly occurring cancers. Research shows that adults who participate in greater amounts of physical activity have reduced risks of developing cancers of the:

  • Bladder
  • Breast
  • Colon (proximal and distal)
  • Endometrium
  • Esophagus (adenocarcinoma)
  • Kidney
  • Lung
  • Stomach (cardia and non-cardia adenocarcinoma)
GET MOTIVATED!
If you have not been physically active in a while, you may be wondering how to get started again.

Here are some tips:

  • Look for opportunities to reduce sedentary time and to increase active time. For example, instead of watching TV, take a walk after dinner.
  • Set aside specific times to make physical activity part of your daily or weekly routine.
  • Start with activities, locations, and times you enjoy. For example, you might like morning walks in your neighborhood; others might prefer an exercise class at a health club after work.
  • Try activities with friends or family members for motivation and mutual encouragement.
  • Start slowly and work your way up to more physically challenging activities. For many people, walking is a particularly good place to begin.
  • For example, you could break the 30-minute a day recommendation into three 10-minute sessions or two 15-minute sessions. Just make sure the shorter sessions are at least 10 minutes long.

 

 

(https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm)