As we all know, it is important for us to be active to improve our health. But what we might not know is what exactly physical activity does for our bodies. As said in this document, we need to try to fit in as much physical activity as we can. Adults should be getting 30 minutes of moderate activity every day to meet the body’s requirements.
Here is what physical activity does to our bodies:
- Helps to prevent heart disease and breast, uterus, and colon cancers
- Strengthens your lungs and helps them work more efficiently
- Tones and strengthens muscles
- Builds stamina
- Keeps your joints in a good condition
- Improves balance
- May slow bone loss
- Improves energy
- Helps with relaxation and stress
- Allows for better sleep
- Helps you feel more lively
- Improves your mood
As we can see, there are many benefits of physical activity, and each one helps improve both our personal and work lives. It can help us become more efficient workers as stress is easier to handle, our moods will be improved, and fatigue won’t slow us down. There are also many ways to be able to meet the daily 30 minutes without having to go for a run. Some examples of moderate activities include:
- Housework – that’s right, vacuuming the house does count towards your daily physical activity!
- Gardening and yard work
- Stretching
- Hiking and walking
- Biking
- Dancing
- Weight lifting
- Golfing
Most of these activities can also be considered vigorous activities depending on how intense the activity is. Most sports are considered vigorous activities as well as yoga and pilates. You can go even further and fit in exercise during work as well, check out our previous post on ways to exercise at work to get some ideas. Exercise is enjoyable for all, so try to find a sport or an activity that you enjoy and give your body the exercise it needs!
