PHYSICAL ACTIVITY — ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!!

“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.” — Marianne Williamson.

Physical Activity is defined as “any, body movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure.”

(Basically, anything that gets one away from the sofa for a certain amount of time.)

What’s the difference between, physical activity and physical fitness??

BENEFITS

Why is it so important to move? Can’t we just lay on the couch and watch another season of our favorite series??

You can. But before that, MOVE AROUND!!!

First thing first, it helps in weight management. But there’s still more to it:

1. Improves self-esteem.

2. Helps build and maintain bones, muscles & joints

3. Builds endurance & muscle strength

4. Reduces feelings of depression & anxiety.

5. Improves sleep quality. (It’s for you, insomniacs.)

They also have a huge impact on different systems of the body.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PYRAMID

The Physical Activity Pyramid describes a Frequency, Intensity, and Time (FIT) formula for each different type of activity.

It offers a way to depict physical activity prescription, classifying activity into six different types and explaining the prescription for each.

Exercise prescription for different types of activity requires knowing how long, how intense, and how often the activity should be done to be beneficial.

TYPES

Simplest and non-tiring option — Walking (Something’s better than Nothing)

Other options:

1. Endurance exercise — walking, running, jogging

2. Strength exercise — lifting weights, cycling, bodyweight training

3. Balance exercise — balance walk, pilates, yoga

4. Flexibility exercise — yoga, pilates, stretching

Finally, few Tips:

1. Do what you enjoy the most. No need to be fancy!!

2. There are different Apps and YouTube videos from which one can take help.

(Duh! I was a newbie once..)

Apps: One Yoga (From, One Yoga Online Studio), Home workout — No equipment, Women workout at Home — Female Fitness (From, Leap Fitness Group)

YouTube Channels: KinoYoga, Lucy Lismore, Boho Beautiful Yoga, cultfitOfficial

3. Follow Instagram handles for more motivation.

4. Track the progress. Manually. Or try different applications.

5. Have patience, and be consistent. IT WORKS WONDERS!

BONUS

Here’s a basic plan to follow right away. No equipment. No experience. No losing breath.

All you need is, a will to start & a reason to keep going!!

My knowledge insists on people (beginners or experts), to follow a 3-part fitness routine.

1. Warmup

2. Major set(s)

3. Cooldown

(Why? — To avoid injuries.)

(P.S: It’s absolutely fine if you are not able to do a single set in the beginning. Things take time. Have patience and be consistent.)

References:

1. Srilakshmi, B. (2014) Dietetics, 8th Multi Colour Edition, New Age International Publications, New Delhi.

2. Shubhangini A Joshi (2011) Nutrition and Dietetics, with Indian Case Studies, 4th edition, Tata McGraw Hill Publications, New Delhi.

3. The Physical Activity Pyramid — Clinical Nutrition: Pangrazi, Robert P. Ph.D.; Corbin, Charles B. Ph.D. The Physical Activity Pyramid, Topics in Clinical Nutrition: June 1999 — Volume 14 — Issue 3 — p 53–61 https://journals.lww.com/topicsinclinicalnutrition/abstract/1999/06000/the_physical_activity_pyramid.7.aspx

4. The Importance of Physical Activity in our Life — MedCrave: Syed Ali, Syed Kamaruzaman. (2018). The importance of physical activities in our life. International Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Journal. 3. 10.15406/ipmrj.2018.03.00121. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327888049_The_important_of_physical_activities_in_our_life