Fitness why is it important

Be active on most, preferably all, days every week. Do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week. Ways to increase physical activity Increases in daily activity can come from small changes made throughout your day, such as walking or cycling instead of using the car, getting off a tram, train or bus a stop earlier and walking the rest of the way, or walking the children to school.

See your doctor first It is a good idea to see your doctor before starting your physical activity program if: you are aged over 45 years physical activity causes pain in your chest you often faint or have spells of severe dizziness moderate physical activity makes you very breathless you are at a higher risk of heart disease you think you might have heart disease or you have heart problems you are pregnant.

Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all keeping active. Related information. From other websites Beyond Blue. Bushwalk Victoria. Outdoors Victoria. Here are just a few of the ways physical activity can help you feel better, look better and live better.

Because, why not? Without regular activity, your body slowly loses its strength, stamina and ability to function properly. Exercise increases muscle strength, which in turn increases your ability to do other physical activities.

Stand up when you eat your apple a day! Too much sitting and other sedentary activities can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Being more active can help you:. People who are physically active and at a healthy weight live about seven years longer than those who are not active and are obese.

And the important part is that those extra years are generally healthier years! Staying active helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging. So active adults maintain their quality of life and independence longer as they age.

This could be a week, month or day. The assessment relies on the person remembering and self-report. But we know that self-reporting activity is not accurate and people tend to over report how much they do. More sophisticated ways include the use of wearable devices such as accelerometers.

In many studies, fitness is measured in a lab setting usually using a treadmill that progressively increases in speed and incline until the person is exhausted. A longer time on the treadmill means a higher fitness level.

More involved tests use a mask to measure the amount of oxygen the person uses to exercise. Compared to assessing physical activity, measuring fitness is far more robust.

This may be one of the reasons why fitness is superior to activity when it comes to health. There are also physiological underpinnings to the benefits of fitness.

Your body becomes more efficient and capable of handling physical work. Taking care of your brain and body is accomplished by staying hydrated, eating nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, stretching, doing aerobic exercises such as running or swimming, and building strong muscles through weight training or calisthenics, like push-ups and pull-ups.

Aerobic fitness gives the freedom to experience the activity and happiness that life has to offer! So, why is physical fitness important? With all the extra energy that being fit provides, your potential for accomplishing the things that make life enjoyable will be profoundly enhanced! Or explore the basics of fitness with the 5 Components of Physical Fitness.

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