by Kaitlyn Chow
What is Exercise?
Exercise is essentially any form of movement of the body. Many people often perceive exercise as a sweaty and exhausting workout with burpees, high knees, and running, among many other brutal exercises. However, that is not the case; exercise can range from enjoying some light yoga stretches to pumping out a high-intensity-interval-training workout from taking a slow and relaxing walk to running 10 miles in one session. In all these mentioned examples, the body is essentially exerting itself and using its energy to perform certain actions.
How Much Should a Person Exercise?
According to researchers and the World Health Organization, “adults should get 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity,” which includes both middle-aged adults and older adults (Miller, 2020). Moreover, children should exercise for about an hour at least three times per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity level (Miller, 2020). Moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, bicycle riding, and playing recreational sports like badminton and tennis. Vigorous-intensity activities include hiking, jogging, running, and playing sports such as soccer, basketball, and football (Harvard T.H. Chan, 2017).
What Types of Exercises Should a Person Do?
There are various types of exercise, including aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, and balance exercises. However, the most commonly used and known types of exercise are aerobic exercise and strength training.
Aerobic exercise, also commonly referred to as cardio training, is a form of exercise that significantly increases one’s heart rate and causes heavy breathing. This type of exercise mainly impacts the heart and lungs, which ultimately helps increase one’s endurance and stamina. Moreover, aerobic exercise is a common way to help burn body fat, lower blood pressure, and much more. Examples of aerobic exercise include brisk walking, running, cycling, and swimming (Harvard Health Letter, 2017).
In contrast, strength training is a type of exercise that primarily involves using one’s body weight or additional weights (e.g. dumbbells, weightlifting bars, etc.). Strength training helps build and maintain one’s muscle mass, and it also helps strengthen already developed muscles; these exercises can also make bones stronger, increase flexibility, and improve one’s balance (Harvard Health Letter, 2017). Unlike aerobic exercises, research has shown that strength training exercises actually cause the body to continue burning calories in the fat-burn zone for a long time after the strength exercises are performed. This is due to the fact that strength training exerts muscles, and that muscles have around three times higher metabolism than fat, with a higher metabolism meaning more calories burned (Ulmer).
Benefits of Exercise
As many probably know already, exercise is beneficial in various ways; exercise can positively impact one’s mental and physical health. For instance, exercise is commonly performed as a means to lose and/or maintain one’s weight, although these goals cannot be met solely by exercising (a balanced and nutritious diet is also necessary). Not only that, but exercise has been proven to combat and prevent health conditions and disease, such as stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Being active increases the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which aids in decreasing unhealthy triglycerides; this ultimately decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as the ones mentioned previously.
Moreover, exercise can also greatly impact and improve one’s mood. Physical activity “stimulates various brain chemicals,” and releases hormones called endorphins, often called the “happy hormones.” This, in turn, can lead to a decrease in anxiety and stress, as well as an increase in confidence and happiness (Mayo Clinic, 2019).
Overall Takeaway
Ultimately, exercise is essentially movement of the body performed in certain activities. Exercise has many benefits, and it is necessary for everyone to exercise frequently in order to stay healthy, no matter what a person’s specific goal is (e.g. lose weight, become stronger, be healthy). It is important for everyone to take some time each day, whether it be five minutes or an hour, to get their body moving and be active.
References:
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Harvard T.H. Chan. (2017, May 08). Examples of moderate and vigorous physical activity.
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