Physical Activity: Steps to Good Health

Posted: Oct. 1, 2004

Exercise may seem like the last thing you have time for. To get fit on your schedule, here are some strategies to try:

• Reduce time spent watching television and in other sedentary behaviors.
• Adopt the attitude that physical activity can be fun, not work.
• Exercise all at one time or intermittently over the day.
• Consider physical activity in the broadest sense:
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Park further from the store and walk.
• Add variety to your workouts.

It’s never too late to start an active lifestyle. No matter your age or fitness level, research shows that starting a more active lifestyle now through regular, moderate-intensity activity can make you healthier and improve your quality of life.

The kind of exercise your body needs
In general, your exercise program needs to do two things: Increase your heart rate and move the large muscles in your body. Your exercise program needs to include something from each of these four basic fitness areas:

Cardio-respiratory endurance is the same thing as aerobic endurance.
It is the ability to exercise your heart and lungs nonstop over certain time periods. When you exercise, your heart beats faster, sending more needed oxygen to your body. If you are not fit, your heart and lungs have to work harder during exercise. Long runs and swims are examples of activities that can help your heart and lungs work better.

Muscular strength is the ability to move a muscle against resistance.
To become stronger, you need to push or pull against resistance, such as your own weight (like in push-ups), using free weights (Note: talk to an instructor before using weights), or even pushing the vacuum cleaner. Regular exercise keeps all of your muscles strong and makes it easier to do daily physical tasks.

Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to keep pushing against resistance for a long period.
Push-ups are often used to test endurance of arm and shoulder muscles. Aerobic exercise also helps to improve your muscular endurance. Activities such as running increase your heart rate and make your heart muscle stronger.

Flexibility is the ability to move joints and use muscles as much as they can possibly be used.
The sit-and-reach your toes test is a good measure of flexibility of the lower back and backs of the upper legs. When you are flexible, you are able to bend and reach with ease. Being flexible can help prevent injuries like pulled muscles.

This is why warming up and stretching are so important. If you force your body to move in a way that you aren’t used to, you risk tearing muscles, as well as ligaments and tendons (other parts of your musculoskeletal system).

There are activities you can do that cover more than one area of fitness. For example, running builds leg muscles and also increases cardio-respiratory endurance.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health

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