Keep moving to stay healthy

A physically active life has numerous advantages for health, both physical and psychological. On the other hand, it has been proved that a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic illnesses.

 

Physical activity is linked to the total energy expended when we move. There are several words or terms used to refer to physical activity, which although similar, can have slightly different meanings. For example, physical activity itself involves everyday activities which require your body to move, such as walking, cycling, going up stairs, housework, going shopping, etc. In the majority of the population, these activities are probably routine. If the activity is planned and structured as a means to keep fit, it is called physical exercise. This type of exercise may include walking fast, cycling, aerobics, games, and certain physically active hobbies such as gardening. The term sport implies competition and rules, although it is clearly still a form of physical activity. All of these activities help you to remain physically fit, which is a term associated with resistance, flexibility, strength, all of which are individual attributes.

 

Human beings need some form of physical exercise to remain functional and to avoid illness. We need to move and burn up energy. According to Dr. K. H. Cooper, physical exercise is "the way to put more years on your life and more life in your years". This means that physical activity can not only add years onto your life, but can also improve the quality of these years. Everyone can benefit from increasing their levels of physical activity. Nevertheless, today’s world and the advances of modern life tend to encourage a sedentary lifestyle.

 

Physical activity should be carried out with at least moderate levels of intensity. For the majority of the population it is easier to do moderate physical activity, such as walking fast, as this type of activity can more easily be incorporated into daily routines and requires less physical effort. It can even be divided into two or three shorter periods of time which are just as effective but may be easier to do on a daily basis.

 

This section gives recommendations and guidelines on ways to encourage a physically active life, which as a result will also be healthier.

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