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Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you
can do for your health.
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Everyone can experience the
health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities,
ethnicity, shape, or size do not matter.
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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.
Weight Management
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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.
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To maintain your weight: Work
your way up to 150 minutes a week 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 Health Risk
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.
Type 2 Diabetes and
Metabolic Syndrome
Regular physical activity can
reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is some combination of too much fat around the waist, high
blood pressure, low High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high
triglycerides, or high blood sugar. People start to see benefits at levels of
physical activity below the recommended 150 minutes a week. Additional amounts
of physical activity seem to lower risk even more.
Increase Your Chances
of Living Longer
Science shows that physical activity can reduce
your risk of dying early from leading causes of death 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)
Improve your quality of life. If
you are a cancer survivor, research shows that getting regular physical
activity not only helps give you a better quality of life, but also improves
your physical fitness.
Strengthen Your Bones
and Muscles
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As you age, it’s important to protect your bones, joints, and
muscles – they support your body and help you move. Keeping bones, joints, and
muscles healthy can help ensure that you’re able to do your daily activities
and be physically active. Doing aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and
bone-strengthening physical activity at a moderately-intense level can slow the loss of bone density that
comes with age.
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Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can have
life-changing negative effects, especially if you’re an older adult. Physically
active people have a lower risk of hip fracture than inactive
people.
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Among older adults, physical activity also reduces the risk of falling and
injuries from falls. Physical activity programs that include more than one type
of physical activity are most successful at reducing falls and fall-related
injuries. Different types of physical activity include aerobic, muscle
strengthening, and balance physical activities. Also, weight bearing activities
such as running, brisk walking, jumping jacks and strength training produce a
force on the bones. These activities that can help promote bone growth and bone
strength and reduce the risk of fall-related injuries and fractures.
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Regular physical activity helps with arthritis and other rheumatic
conditions affecting the joints. Doing 150 minutes a week of
moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, if able, plus
muscle-strengthening activity improves your ability to manage pain and do
everyday tasks and improves quality of life.
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Build strong, healthy muscles. Muscle-strengthening
activities like lifting weights can help you increase or maintain your muscle
mass and strength. This is important for older adults who experience reduced
muscle mass and muscle strength with aging. Slowly increasing the amount of
weight and number of repetitions you do as part of muscle strengthening
activities will give you even more benefits, no matter your age.
Improve Your Ability
to do Daily Activities and Prevent Falls
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A functional limitation is a loss of the ability to do everyday
activities such as climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or playing with your
grandchildren.
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How does this relate to physical activity? If
you’re a physically active middle-aged or older adult, you have a lower risk of
functional limitations than people who are inactive.
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Improve physical function and decrease the risk of falls. For
older adults, multicomponent physical activity is important to improve physical
function and decrease the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Multicomponent physical
activity is physical activity that includes more than one type of
physical activity, such as aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance training.
Multicomponent physical activity can be done at home or in a community setting
as part of a structured program.
, like heart disease and some
cancers. This is remarkable in two ways:
- Only a few lifestyle choices
have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. People who
are physically active for about 150 minutes a week have a 33% lower risk
of all-cause mortality than those who are physically inactive.
- You don’t have to do high
amounts of activity or vigorous-intensity activity to reduce your risk of
premature death. Benefits start to accumulate with any amount of moderate-
or vigorous-intensity physical activity.
