Exercise vs Physical Activity

There really is a difference. Most people tell me they are active all day doing their chores so they don’t need to exercise but actually performing structured exercise improves cardio, strength and balance. It challenges your body. Sure some days those chores are enough for the day - especially if you get up and down from many squats in your garden, rake your leaves for 30 - 60 minutes, carry wood into the house or stack it and get ready - yes, shovel your driveway (the snow will come eventually). But unless you do enough to push your muscles and cardiovascular system, simple physical activity during activities of daily living is not usually enough to make a change.

Physical activity is using energy to move your body (getting out of bed, getting off the toilet, walking to the kitchen etc.) while “Exercise” is planned, structured and purposeful movements. Exercise has a goal to increase your strength and fitness. Exercise can strengthen muscles and should be performed with specific amounts (dosages) and intensity. This dosage really depends on where you are at with your physical fitness and your body does need to adapt slowly. Start low and progress slow to avoid too much stress too fast to your tissues.

Learn the exercise movements first, to let your body get used to them and then add some resistance. Resistance at the beginning should be light - light bands, small bottles of water for weights, 1-2 lbs especially if you are starting from scratch! Repetitions should be between 8-12 at the beginning and increase slowly, a few reps per week up to 15 until you feel stronger. Do 2 sets of each exercise with either a rest in between or an exercise for a completely different body part. You should feel like you have worked at about 6-7 on a 10 point rating of perceived exertion scale.

When two sets of 15 repetitions are easy, you are not tired at the end and you do them all with good technique then you can increase the weights. When you increase weights, drop the repetitions back to 8-12 until you get used to the change again.

See my exercise snacks blog for options or check out this blog and stayed tuned for more examples.

I read a good quote today on Twitter - The only danger of exercise is the lack of it.