When it comes to physical activity it might get a little confusing to know how or even where to start. Because of those possible setbacks here I have listed what I think are some common questions with my answers to help you get on your way and get started as smoothly as possible!
Here, we answer four common physical activity questions.
1. Do I have to exercise every day for it to be beneficial?
Nope! According to most exercise guidelines about 150 minutes of light aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week is the recommendation. While yes, it is beneficial to exercise and get your body moving every day, it is smart not only to give your body and your brain a rest day after accumulating a streak of activity days! Taking the occasional rest day can keep motivation high, prevent injuries, and also give your muscles the rest they need so they can recover properly.
2. What if I don’t have a gym available?
If a gym isn’t readily available to you have no worries! For strength exercise, there are plenty of different kinds of resources that can give you the same benefits as using a gym. One hack you can use for a home strength workout to mimic using weights in the gym is to use a backpack! A backpack can be used as a kettlebell, dumbbell, or can be loaded onto your back or chest. An extra plus is that you can load it as heavy or as light as you want and use it for almost any type of bodyweight exercise.
3. Is there a difference between physical activity and exercise?
Yes, there is a slight difference in physical activity and exercise. Physical activity is any movement that your body does, which translates to anything you do. Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity; exercise is any specific or planned movement that’s main goal is to maintain or improve one’s physical fitness.
4. Is one type of exercise better than the other?
Realistically, when talking about a sustainable healthy lifestyle, all types of exercise is what’s best. Whether it’s strength exercise in the gym, light aerobic exercise like walking or biking with your family, or relaxing yoga and stretching to start the day, all exercise helps promote a healthy lifestyle. While each style of exercise might have its specific purpose, I would say none is explicitly better than the other. Depending on your fitness goals different types of exercise might be important to focus on, but all in all any type of exercise is the best exercise!
There is no requirement to belong to a gym or have access to fancy machines to take advantage of what physical activity can do for you. So, make time to move a little more every day: It's worth the effort!