Health and Mind: Why is physical activity important?

Published 4:30 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2024

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Regular physical activity is important for good health, and it’s especially important if you’re trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight:

  • When losing weight, more physical activity increases the number of calories your body uses for energy or “burns off.” The burning of calories through physical activity, combined with reducing the number of calories you eat, creates a “calorie deficit” that results in weight loss.
  • Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintainweight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity.
  • Most importantly, physical activity reduces risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes beyond that produced by weight reduction alone.

Physical activity also helps to:

  • Maintain weight;
  • Reduce high blood pressure;
  • Reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and several forms of cancer;
  • Reduce arthritis pain and associated disability;
  • Reduce risk for osteoporosis and falls;
  • Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

How much physical activity do I need?

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When it comes to weight management, people vary greatly in how much physical activity they need. Here are some guidelines to follow:

To maintain your weight

 Work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each 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 the equivalent of 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.

What do moderate- and vigorous-intensity mean?

Moderate

While performing the physical activity, if your breathing and heart rate is noticeably faster but you can still carry on a conversation — it’s probably moderately intense. Examples include:

  • Walking briskly (a 15-minute mile).
  • Light yard work (raking/bagging leaves or using a lawn mower).
  • Light snow shoveling.
  • Actively playing with children.
  • Biking at a casual pace.

Vigorous

Your heart rate is increased substantially and you are breathing too hard and fast to have a conversation, it’s probably vigorously intense. Examples include:

  • Jogging/running;
  • Swimming laps;
  • Rollerblading/inline skating at a brisk pace;
  • Cross-country skiing;
  • Most competitive sports (football, basketball, or soccer);
  • Jumping rope.

Immediate Benefits of Physical Activity

Some benefits of physical activity on brain health happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Benefits include improved thinking or cognition for children 6 to 13 years of age and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety for adults. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.

To learn more about physical activity or weight loss, please contact us at 859-744-4482.

Clark County Health Department provides programs for the entire family, including Medical Nutrition Therapy (weight-loss counseling, diabetes management, etc.), Diabetes Classes, Diabetes Support Group, Diabetes Prevention Program, WIC, HANDS, family planning, and immunizations.  For more information on all of our service, please call 859-744-4482, like us on Facebook, or visit our website at www.cchdky.org.