0:00
Physical Activities What are the benefits of physical activity
0:14
Keep reminding yourself, some physical activity is better than none. Being physically active may help you start feeling better right away
0:23
It can help boost your mood, sharpen your focus, reduce your stress
0:29
improve your sleep. Once you are more active, keep it up with regular activities
0:35
That will improve your health even more. Studies suggest that, over time, physical activity can help you live a longer, healthier life
0:45
Physical activity may help prevent heart disease and stroke, control your blood pressure, lower
0:52
your risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and some cancers. What types of physical activity do I need
0:59
Experts recommend two types of physical activities, aerobic and muscle strengthening activities
1:06
Aerobic Activity Aerobic activities, also called endurance or cardio activities, use your large muscle groups, chest, legs, and back, to speed up your heart
1:17
rate and breathing. Aerobics can be moderate or vigorous. How can you tell what level your activity is
1:24
Take a thought test to find out. If you're breathing hard but can still have a conversation easily, but you can't sing
1:31
then you're doing moderate intensity activity. If you can only say a few words before pausing for a breath, then you're at the vigorous level
1:40
Start with moderate intensity activities and then work up to vigorous intensity activities
1:45
to avoid injuries. Choose aerobic activities that are fun for you. You're more likely to be active if you like what you're doing
1:53
Try getting a friend, family member, or co-worker to join you. That may help you enjoy activity and stick with it
2:00
Try one of these activities or any others you enjoy. Brisk walking or jogging. Bicycling
2:08
Wear a helmet. Swimming. Dancing. Playing basketball or soccer. Regular aerobic activity can help you
2:18
Reduce your weight. Aerobic activity uses calories, which may help keep your weight down
2:25
Prevent heart disease and stroke. Regular aerobic activity may strengthen your heart muscle
2:31
It may even lower your blood pressure. It may also help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, which may lower your
2:39
risk of getting heart disease. Prevent other diseases. Even moderate intensity aerobic activity each week may lower your risk for type 2 diabetes
2:50
some cancers, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Maintain strong bones
2:59
Weight-bearing aerobic activities that involve lifting or pushing your own body weight, such
3:04
as walking, jogging, or dancing, help to maintain strong bones. Muscle-strengthening activity
3:12
Strength training or resistance training works your muscles by making you push or pull against
3:17
something, a wall or floor, handheld weights, an exercise bar, exercise bands, or even soup cans
3:26
Try these options. Lift weights. You can even use two full cans of food or gallon-sized water containers as weights
3:35
Do push-ups, pull-ups, or planks. Work with resistance bands, large rubber bands
3:42
Do heavy gardening, digging, lifting, carrying. Doing regular activities to strengthen your muscles may help you
3:51
Increase bone strength and prevent bone loss as you age. Maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss as you age or as you lose weight
4:00
Work the major muscle groups of your body, such as the chest, back, abdominals, legs
4:06
and arms. How much physical activity do I need? Experts recommend at least 150 minutes a week, a total of 2 1⁄2 hours, of moderate-intensity
4:17
aerobic activity. You can spread your activity throughout the week, whatever works best for you
4:24
Studies show that if you spread activity across at least three days a week, you can improve
4:29
your health, reduce your risk of injury, and keep yourself from becoming too tired
4:36
If you increase your aerobic activity to 300 minutes a week, instead of the recommended
4:41
150 minutes, you may even lower your risk for heart disease or type 2 diabetes
4:48
Additionally, if you do more than 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
4:54
you may even reduce your risk for several cancers. You should also aim for at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities
5:03
To avoid injury, allow at least one day of rest for your muscles to recover and rebuild
5:08
before working the same muscle groups again. How do I get started
5:13
You don't have to be an athlete to benefit from regular physical activity
5:17
Even modest amounts of physical activity can improve your health. If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with easier activities
5:26
such as walking at a gentle pace. For example, you could start by walking five minutes at a time, several times a day, five
5:35
to six days a week. You could gradually increase your time to 10 minutes per session, three times a day
5:41
and slowly increase your walking speed. Building up slowly lets you work up to more intense activity without getting hurt
5:50
Be sure to increase your muscle-strengthening activities gradually. Start out one day a week at a light or moderate intensity
5:58
Over time, increase to two days a week, and then possibly to more than two days
6:04
Increase the intensity until it becomes moderate or greater. Make a plan to stay on track
6:10
You may want to try the Move Your Way Interactive Activity Planner that lets you set your own
6:14
weekly goals, choose the activities you want to do, and get personalized tips to help you
6:20
stay motivated. You can keep an activity log to track your progress, such as the sample log below or
6:27
an app on your mobile device. After you do an activity, write down how you were feeling while you were active
6:34
As you become more fit over time, try to slowly increase your pace, the length of time you
6:40
were active, and how many days of the week you were active
6:43
Try these activities to add more movement to your daily life. Choose parking spots that are farther away for extra steps
6:52
Make sure the places where you park and walk are safe and well-lit
6:56
Walk around the inside of a shopping mall or other large building, especially in bad weather
7:02
Break the leaves, wash the car, or do brisk house cleaning. Visit museums or the zoo
7:10
Many of these activities are free. You and your family can walk for hours and not realize how far you have gone
7:17
Take a break from sitting at the computer, TV, or other device
7:23
Start a walking or other active group where you work, live, or worship
7:27
Having a buddy can help keep you focused and add fun to your activity
7:32
If your time is limited, do 10 minutes of exercise at a time
7:37
Spread these bursts of activity throughout the day. Every little bit counts
7:42
Plan ahead to avoid setbacks. Find a backup activity you can do in case of bad weather or injury
7:49
If you do have a setback, regroup and focus on meeting your goal again as soon as you can
7:55
Being good to yourself. Many people feel stress in their daily lives
8:01
Stress can cause you to overeat, feel tired, and not want to be active
8:06
Healthy eating and regular physical activity may help offset the effects of stress
8:11
Try some of these other ideas to help relieve stress and stay on track with improving your health
8:17
Get adequate sleep. Try a new hobby or any activity that sparks your interest
8:23
Surround yourself with people whose company you enjoy. There are apps that give helpful tips on stress management practices and help you monitor
8:31
the situations that prompt stress. Check them out to see if one works for you
8:37
A balanced eating plan, regular physical activity, stress relief, adequate sleep, and other behaviors
8:44
may help you stay healthy for life. Ask for help from the nutrition experts
8:50
Would you like to know exactly what to eat to lose fat and get healthy without giving
8:54
up your favorite foods or starving yourself? Do you want to receive the advice from the nutrition expert to lose weight fast
9:03
If you're serious about achieving permanent fat loss and a complete health transformation
9:07
while eating your favorite foods every meal, I invite you to read the page in the description
9:13
and get your own keto diet plan in 7 days trial
