Research shows that a total amount of 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, improves both physical and mental health. An easy way to remember this is 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. Don’t have 30 minutes? That's ok, it doesn't have to be done all at once. You can break down your activity into as little as three 10 minute periods of activity which is just as beneficial to your overall fitness as one 30-minute session. This is achievable and SPARTANfit Fitness & Wellness Program is here to help you!
The Benefits of Physical Activity:
Note: Although physical activity is safe for most people, health experts suggest that you talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following Aerobic Activity for substantial health benefits for Adults:
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What is the difference between Moderate-intensity and Vigorous-intensity Physical Activity?
Intensity refers to the rate at which the activity is being performed or the level of the effort required to perform an activity or exercise. It can be thought of "How hard a person works to do the activity".
The intensity of different forms of physical activity varies between people. The intensity of physical activity depends on an individual’s previous exercise experience and their relative level of fitness. Consequently, the examples given below are provided as a guide only and will vary between individuals.
Metabolic Equivalents (
METs ) are commonly used to express the intensity of physical activities. MET is the ratio of a person's working metabolic rate relative to their resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as the energy cost of sitting quietly and is equivalent to a caloric consumption of 1kcal/kg/hour. It is estimated that compared with sitting quietly, a person's caloric consumption is three to six times higher when being moderately active (3-6METs ) and more than six times higher when being vigorously active (>6METs ).Adapted from: WHO's "What is Moderate-intensity and Vigorous-intensity Physical Activity?"
Muscular strength (how much you can lift) is the maximum amount of force a muscle can produce in a single effort. Muscular endurance (how long you can lift) is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue. Together they provide the power and capacity of muscle and connective tissue elements to undergo stress and strain in order to achieve a variety of activities by pulling, pushing, stretching, extending and flexing different joints of the body. Muscular strength and endurance training
The benefits of muscular strength and muscular endurance training include:
Flexibility is needed to perform everyday activities with relative ease. Flexibility is primarily due to one’s genetics, gender, age, body shape and level of physical activity. As people grow older, they tend to lose flexibility. This is usually as a result of inactivity but is partially due to the aging process itself. The less active you are, the less flexible you are likely to be. Furthermore, regrettably, flexibility training is often neglected. As with cardiovascular activity and muscle strength and endurance training, flexibility will improve with regular training.
The Benefits of Flexibility training: