Physical Activity
Being physically active and exercising regularly is essential throughout our lifespan. Physical activity refers to any bodily movement that requires the contraction of muscles and expends energy. It is essential for overall health and well-being and plays a crucial role in building reserve in the body and mind. Physical activity builds reserve by enhancing physical fitness, mental well-being, and overall resilience, providing a buffer against the physical and mental challenges that life may present.
Incidental Activity
Incidental activity, also called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), encompasses all the physical movements we engage in outside of sleeping, exercising, or eating. These activities are part of our daily routines, including domestic chores, gardening, moving around our homes, typing, and even fidgeting. The level of NEAT activity varies depending on the specific tasks we undertake. It is worth noting that all forms of physical activity contribute to an increased metabolic rate and play a beneficial role in enhancing an individual's overall physical health. These activities contribute to your daily physical activity level and can help increase your daily calorie expenditure, promote overall fitness, and enhance your well-being.
Exercise
Exercise is a purposeful, structured, and repetitive form of physical activity that is vital in maintaining and improving physical fitness. To reap its full benefits, exercise should be physically challenging and demand effort, often causing you to break a sweat and experience a sense of exertion. Incorporating various forms of exercise into our daily lives is essential to ensure holistic well-being. The advantages of regular exercise are numerous and encompass various aspects of health:
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is a holistic approach to well-being, as it addresses health's physical, mental, and emotional aspects. Whether through cardiovascular workouts, strength training, yoga, or other forms of exercise, committing to regular physical activity is an investment in your overall health and quality of life.
Stretching is a physical activity that involves deliberately lengthening and elongating your muscles to increase their flexibility and range of motion. Stretching helps to increase the length of your muscles and tendons, which, in turn, enhances your flexibility. Improved flexibility can make everyday movements easier and reduce the risk of muscle strains and injuries. Regular stretching increases the range through which your joints can move, which helps alleviate stiffness associated with sedentary lifestyles. Stretching helps to release built-up tension in your muscles. This can relieve discomfort and reduce the feeling of tightness, especially in areas like the neck, shoulders, and lower back, which are prone to stress-related muscle tension.
A range of exercises predominantly focus on stretching and improving flexibility. Static stretches (e.g., hamstring stretch, quadriceps stretch, calf stretch, shoulder stretch, and triceps stretch involve holding a stretch position for a period (usually 15-30 seconds) to target specific muscle groups. Dynamic Stretches (e.g., arm circles, leg swings, hip circles, neck tilts, torso twists), on the other hand, involve controlled movements that take your muscles and joints through a range of motion. They are often used as part of a warm-up routine.
Yoga is a discipline that combines stretching, strength, and balance. Many yoga poses emphasize stretching various parts of the body and enhancing flexibility. Pilates incorporates stretching and strengthening movements. While not an exercise per se, foam rolling is a self-myofascial release technique that can help release muscle tension and improve flexibility. Tai Chi is another movement that promotes flexibility, balance, and relaxation while incorporating stretching into the routines. Partner stretches offer an opportunity to enhance your stretching capacity in the company of a loved one. Smart yoga mats and smart yoga clothing are an amazing way to help measure progress and ensure you stretch in line with professional standards.
While stretching offers numerous benefits, it should be done correctly and with other aspects of a well-rounded fitness routine. Stretching cold muscles or overstretching can lead to injury, so it is essential to warm up before stretching and consult with a fitness professional or Wellbeing Practitioner if you have specific concerns or health conditions. Incorporating stretching into your daily routine, whether through dedicated stretching sessions or as part of your warm-up and cool-down routines, can improve health, flexibility, and overall well-being.
Stretching
Balance training is a form of physical activity that focuses on improving and maintaining stability, equilibrium, and coordination. It involves exercises and movements that challenge your ability to control your body's position, both statically (while stationary) and dynamically (during movement). Balance training is important for overall fitness and can be used in various contexts, including sports performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.
Balance exercises often engage smaller stabilizing muscles that are not typically targeted during traditional strength training. These muscles play a crucial role in maintaining posture and joint stability. As you perform balance exercises, these muscles are activated and strengthened. Many balance exercises require a strong core (abdominal and lower back muscles) to maintain stability. Improved core strength can contribute to better posture, reduced risk of back pain, and enhanced overall body control. Balance training enhances proprioception by challenging your body to maintain equilibrium. This improved awareness can help reduce the risk of falls and injuries, especially in older adults. Practising balance can lead to improved coordination and better control of body movements.
Examples of balance exercises include single-leg stands, heel-to-toe walks, stability ball exercises, yoga poses, and exercises on balance boards or wobble boards. Squats and lunges, agility ladder drills, gymnastics, acrobatics, martial arts, dance (e.g., ballet), skating, tennis and running and climbing on uneven terrain all challenge and maintain your balance. Sports that require precise control of body movements, which enhance the stability of the muscles and require body control all increase or maintain balance. Balance training should be tailored to individual fitness levels and needs, and it can be incorporated into a well-rounded fitness routine to enhance overall physical performance and reduce the risk of injuries related to balance and stability.
Balance Training
Physical or strength training is a form of physical activity focusing on resistance exercises to improve muscle strength, endurance, and overall physical fitness. It involves using various forms of resistance, such as weights, resistance bands, body weights, or machines, to challenge and strengthen your muscles.
Strength training involves using resistance to create muscle tension, which stimulates muscle growth and development. Over time, this leads to increased muscle mass and strength. Strength training not only builds muscle strength but also enhances muscle endurance. This means your muscles can perform repetitive tasks or sustain contractions for longer periods without fatigue.
As muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, increasing muscle mass through strength training can boost your metabolism, helping with weight management and fat loss. Strength training is also a weight-bearing activity that stimulates bone growth and density. This is particularly important for preventing osteoporosis and maintaining bone health as you age. Proper strength training can improve joint stability by strengthening the muscles around it. This helps reduce the risk of joint injuries and alleviate discomfort in conditions like arthritis.
To reap these benefits, it is essential to incorporate strength training into your fitness routine. This can involve working with free weights, machines, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats. Weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, CrossFit, Strongman Training, Kettlebell Training, Calisthenics, Fitness Classes, and Circuit Training are all examples of training methods to enhance resistance. The intensity, frequency, and type of strength training exercises can be tailored to your fitness goals, whether you aim to build muscle, improve endurance, or maintain overall health and fitness. You should consult a fitness professional or Wellbeing Practitioner to create a safe and effective strength training program that suits your needs and abilities.
Resistance Training
Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio exercise or cardiovascular exercise, is a form of physical activity that primarily focuses on increasing your heart rate and breathing rate for an extended period. It involves rhythmic and continuous movements that engage large muscle groups and require a steady supply of oxygen to meet the energy demands of your body. Here's how aerobic exercise is a form of physical activity:
Aerobic exercises involve sustained, repetitive movements that are performed for an extended duration, typically at a moderate intensity. These activities keep you moving continuously without significant rest periods. Aerobic exercise places a significant demand on your cardiovascular system, including your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It requires your heart to pump blood more efficiently to deliver oxygen to working muscles and remove carbon dioxide and waste products. During aerobic exercise, your heart rate increases to accommodate the higher demand for oxygen and energy by the active muscles. This elevated heart rate is one of the key indicators of aerobic activity.
Aerobic exercise improves lung capacity and efficiency. It encourages deeper and more controlled breathing, which helps oxygenate the blood and remove waste gases more effectively. Aerobic activities burn calories and contribute to weight management. They are effective for fat loss because they create an energy deficit when performed regularly. Regular aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular endurance, allowing you to perform physical activities for longer periods without becoming fatigued. This increased endurance can translate to improved performance in various sports and daily tasks.
A wide range of activities incorporate aerobic exercise into them, engaging the cardiovascular system and helping to improve overall fitness. These activities can be adapted to suit various fitness levels and preferences, making it easier to find an aerobic exercise that you enjoy and can incorporate into your regular fitness routine.
Aerobic exercise should be performed regularly to maintain its benefits, ideally for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, as recommended by health guidelines. Incorporating aerobic exercise into your routine can contribute significantly to your overall physical health and wellbeing.
Aerobic Exercise
