Why physical activity, not exercise, is there a difference?

Physical activity is any muscular activity that involves significant movement of your body or limbs. Exercise is planned or structured and involves repetitive movements designed to improve or maintain physical fitness. Whilst we may focus more on exercise the critical issue remains that we just don’t do as much physical activity as we need.

Facts

• We are getting larger
• We are less fit
• We are getting less active progressively as the technological revolution continues to automate routine physical activity
• We spend more hours of our day inactive with increasing time spent watching home entertainment
• Our children are very inactive in general

Why do we need to bother?

Some diseases associated with being overweight and inactive include:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Osteoarthritis
• Cancers (breast, womb, bowel and others)
• Polycystic ovaries
• Incontinence

Controlling body weight and improving physical activity can help reverse or prevent these issues. Physical activity is a critical component of energy balance. Taking a healthy approach to your life encompasses both focusing on physical and psychological wellbeing.

Further Resources

 Physical Activity (59.53 KB)

 Physical Activity (3.3 MB)

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By Paula Goodyer

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Content updated March 21, 2004