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The Importance of Physical Activity
Why should I be active?
Can everyone benefit from physical activity?
The first wealth is health." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
The evidence is growing and is more convincing than ever! People of all ages who are generally inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming active at a moderate-intensity on a regular basis.
Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of dying of coronary heart disease, the nation's leading cause of death, and decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthritis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications. Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from participating in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week.
Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. 25% of adults are not active at all in their leisure time. Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education. Furthermore, there are racial and ethnic differences in physical activity rates, particularly among women. For more information about adult U.S. physical activity levels among demographic groups in a state or metropolitan area, search theU.S.PhysicalActivityStatisticsdatabase.
Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults. More than a third of young people in grades 912 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity. Daily participation in high school physical education classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001 (CDC, 2002).
This section explains why you should be active, how inactivity may hurt your health, and how physical activity can benefit everyone.
Why should I be active?
"It's easier to maintain your health than regain it." —Dr. Ken Cooper
Physical activity can bring you many health benefits. People who enjoy participating in moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis benefit by lowering their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and colon cancer by 3050% (USDHHS, 1996). Additionally, active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.
Regular physical activity can improve health and reduce the risk of premature death in the following ways:
- * Reduces the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and the risk of dying from CHD
- * Reduces the risk of stroke
- * Reduces the risk of having a second heart attack in people who have already had one heart attack
- * Lowers both total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high-density lipoproteins (HDL or the "good" cholesterol)
- * Lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure
- * Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have hypertension
- * Lowers the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus
- * Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
- * Helps people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
- * Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
- * Promotes psychological well-being and reduces feelings of stress
- * Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
- * Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling or becoming excessively fatigued
- * Reduces the risk of stroke
Can a lack of physical activity hurt your health? Evidence shows that those who are not physically active are definitely not helping their health, and may likely be hurting it. The closer we look at the health risks associated with a lack of physical activity, the more convincing it is that Americans who are not yet regularly physically active should become active.
For more information on how physical activity can reduce the risk of disease, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' online document "Physical Activity Fundamental to Preventing Disease."
Can everyone benefit from physical activity?
"Do it, move it, make it happen. No one ever sat their way to success." —Unknown
The good news about regular physical activity is that everyone can benefit from it (USDHHS, 1996).
* Older adults
No one is too old to enjoy the benefits of regular physical activity. Evidence indicates that muscle-strengthening exercises can reduce the risk of falling and fracturing bones and can improve the ability to live independently.
* Parents and children
Parents can help their children maintain a physically active lifestyle by providing encouragement and opportunities for physical activity. Families can plan outings and events that allow and encourage everyone in the family to be active.
* Teenagers
Regular physical activity improves strength, builds lean muscle, and decreases body fat. Activity can build stronger bones to last a lifetime.
* People trying to manage their weight
Regular physical activity burns calories while preserving lean muscle mass. Regular physical activity is a key component of any weight-loss or weight-management effort.
* People with high blood pressure
Regular physical activity helps lower blood pressure.
* People with physical disabilities, including arthritis
Regular physical activity can help people with chronic, disabling conditions improve their stamina and muscle strength. It also can improve psychological well-being and quality of life by increasing the ability to perform the activities of daily life.
* Everyone under stress, including persons experiencing anxiety or depression
Regular physical activity improves one's mood, helps relieve depression, and increases feelings of well-being
"We are what we repeatedly do." —Aristotle
There is good news for all Americans. Scientific evidence shows that physical activity done at a moderate-intensity level can produce health benefits (USDHHS, 1996). If people have been sedentary, they can improve their health and well-being with regular, moderate levels of activity each day.
Those who participate in moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities regularly should be encouraged and supported in their efforts to continue. While activity at a higher intensity or performed longer offers more health benefits, this level of activity may not be a realistic goal for everyone, at least not to start with. Many Americans, for whom the term "exercise" brings up negative images and emotions, can celebrate the good news by setting a new personal goal-achieving and enjoying the benefits of a regularly active lifestyle that includes a variety of moderate- and/or vigorous-intensity activities.
Adults should strive to meet either of the following physical activity recommendations.
* Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American College of Sports Medicine
OR
* Adults should engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion
More good news is that it's never too late to start an active lifestyle. No matter how old you are, how unfit you feel, or how long you've been inactive, research shows that starting a more active lifestyle now through regular, moderate-intensity activity can make you healthier and improve your quality of life.
This section provides guidelines for how active you need to be to gain some benefit and general information on activity levels of Americans.
"Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible." —George H. Lorimer
Physical activity does not need to be hard to provide some benefit. Participating in moderate-intensity physical activity is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages and abilities. There is no demographic or social group in America that could not benefit from becoming more active.
The table* below provides recommendations on how to increase your physical activity based on your current activity level. Check it out to see where you are and how you can challenge yourself.
If... Then...
If You do not currently engage in regular physical activity, Then you should begin by incorporating a few minutes of physical activity into each day, gradually building up to 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activities.
If You are now active, but at less than the recommended levels, Then you should strive to adopt more consistent activity:
- * moderate-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes or more on 5 or more days of the week, or
- * vigorous-intensity physical activity for 20 minutes or more on 3 or more days of the week.
IF You currently engage in moderate-intensity activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week, Then you may achieve even greater health benefits by increasing the time spent or intensity of those activities.
If You currently regularly engage in vigorous-intensity activities 20 minutes or more on 3 or more days of the week, Then you should continue to do so.
What is "moderate-intensity physical activity?"
Moderate-intensity physical activity refers to any activity that burns 3.5 to 7 Calories per minute (kcal/min) (Ainsworth et al., 2000). These levels are equal to the effort a healthy individual might burn while walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming for recreation, or bicycling.
What is "vigorous-intensity physical activity?"
Vigorous-intensity physical activity refers to any activity that burns more than 7 Calories per minute (kcal/min) (Ainsworth et al., 2000). These levels are equal to the effort a healthy individual might burn while jogging, engaging in heavy yard work, participating in high-impact aerobic dancing, swimming continuous laps, or bicycling uphill.
* On average, regularly participating in one or more moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity activities is required to burn a minimum of 150 Calories of energy per day, 7 days per week, or total of 1,000 Calories/week (Jones et al., 1998).
* The time needed to burn 150 Calories of energy in a day depends on the intensity of the activities chosen. For example, if someone selects moderate-intensity activities, the time required to meet the minimum recommendation would be generally 30 minutes per day. The more vigorous the activities chosen, the less time needed (22 minutes or less) to burn the minimum of 150 Calories during the day.
Number of Minutes of Activity Required to Burn 150 kcalories
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