The Benefits of Physical Activities

Physical activity is any bodily movement generated by skeletal muscles that require the use of energy. It includes working, carrying out household chores, playing, traveling, and engaging in recreational pursuits (World Health Organization, 2020).

Physical activity is essential as it provides long-term health benefits for everyone! Being active can be as easy as walking a dog or as strenuous as running a marathon (HHS.gov, n.d.).

Proper nutrition and physical activity are beneficial to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. And everyone must get active: the increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years has been significant. Approximately one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese, and about 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents are obese (HHS.gov, n.d.). If things do not change, one-third of all children born in the year 2000 or later may have diabetes at some point in their lives, while others are likely to face chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease cancer, and asthma. These children may even die before their parents. 

Regular physical activity can help:

• Prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke 
• Make your muscles stronger.
• Control weight
• Reduce fat
• Promote healthy bone, tissue, and joint development
• Increase your energy and self-esteem
• Increase your chances of living longer
• Build overall strength and endurance
• Improve sleep
• Decrease the potential of becoming depressed
• Relieve stress (HHS.gov, n.d.).

Recommended Daily Activity Level

• Ages 5-17 years should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily and bone and muscle-strengthening activity three times weekly.
• Ages 18 and above should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week and muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week. Over 65 years with reduced mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls, three or more days per week.

How to increase physical activity?

• Encourage walking, cycling, and other forms of active transportation.
• Encourage physical activity in the workplace;
• Ensure that schools have safe spaces and facilities for students to spend their free time actively;
• quality physical education supports children to develop behavior patterns that will keep them physically active throughout their lives; and
• Sports and recreation facilities provide opportunities for everyone to do sports (World Health Organization, 2020).

Given the overwhelming benefits, it is evident that physical activity should be practiced by all. That is if you want to be healthy throughout your life. 

By Nattlya A.

References

HHS.gov. (n.d.). Importance of Physical Activity. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 

Retrieved from: https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/importance-of-physical-activity/index.html

World Health Organization. (2020). Physical Activity. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-

room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity