THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY NEWSLET TER
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? EXERCISE VS. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
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INSIDE : • A Plank a Day Keeps the Doctor at Bay • Healthy Recipe To answer this question is to really understand the difference between activity versus exercise and how they are very different. No one can deny that being physically active is better than being a couch potato. An active person will be in better overall health; however, physical activity is not a substitute or replacement for exercise because exercise provides lifelong aging benefits. These benefits include increases in body strength, balance, bone density, muscle density, as well as increased tensile strength of the muscle, and last but not least, heart health benefits that help you stay independent for longer. Exercise can be defined as a planned, structured, repetitive and intentional movement intended to improve or maintain physical fitness or a particular body part. In simple terms, exercise is any movement that works your body at a greater intensity than your usual level of daily physical activity. Exercise raises your heart rate and works/challenges your muscle or groups of muscles including your heart (which is a muscle) in a way that they are not used to in order to change the structure and function of the muscle in a positive way. This will equate to improvement in overall health and fitness. Physical activity is any movement of the body that requires energy expenditure, (ie. burn calories). For example, dressing, self care, walking in a grocery store, housework, and yard work are all activities considered physical activity. Physical activity, or your everyday activities, does not challenge your muscles enough to produce an actual structural change in the muscle to provide long term health benefits as the body ages. An
• Exercise Of The Month • Patient Success Spotlight
obvious example of this is the realization that the same activities we did at 20 to 30 years of age are now harder at 50 years old or older. Our body has aged over the years. Our muscles and bones have degenerated, chemical changes have occurred and our heart & lung capacity has decreased; however, we expect our bodies to perform like it used to just because we have been physically active! This is not the case. In the long run, we end up injuring ourselves, having sleepless nights due to joint or muscle pain, and then are dumbfounded as to why!? As Physical Therapists, as well as other health providers, it is our responsibility to educate you on how we can help you become a healthier version of yourself. We try to teach you that every job or activity we do has negative repetitive patterns. By performing exercises, we can keep these issues from overtaking us as we age. Our #1 problem is that we think “It will never get the best of us!” It is ALWAYS best to address these issues early to save you time away from the things you love so you age gracefully and live with less or even without pain. Article written by: M. Kay Hanson, PT, DPT, Colleen Durham, PT and Carly Howell, PTA References: http://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/liftstyle/blog/5460/physical-activity-vs- exercise-what-s the-differencehttp://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/basics/difference-between-exercise- and-physicalactivity.aspxhttp://www.nysopep.org/PreventionPhysActExercise.shtmlwww.hopkinsmedicine. org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular diseases/risks of physical inactivity 8 5 p00218 https://www. weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/questions-answers/what-is-exercise.htmWhy isexercise important?
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