Difference Between Physical Activity, Fitness and Exercise

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Hey guys. So I know it's been a while and we sorta veered off topic a little bit, but we are back on track. We're finally gonna talk about the difference between physical activity, fitness and exercise.

In an earlier post, we defined what Physical Wellness really is, contrary to popular belief, which led to the fact that confusion arises when using the terms physical activity, fitness and exercise. I'm really passionate about this particular topic because I usually get into arguments with my friends concerning this.

"Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure" - WHO

Basically it is any bodily movement that burns energy or calories. Everyone does some form of physical activity everyday (except you lay in bed all day or you're a couch potato). Examples range from commuting to walking up the stairs to house chores, etc.

Exercise, however, is a category of physical activity. It requires planning and is usually repetitive. You can basically refer to exercise as 'planned physical activity'. The aim of exercise can vary from improving health to training to weight loss/gain to maintaining physical fitness.

As you can see from above, Exercise can be used to improve different components of Physical Fitness; therefore, Physical Fitness is a set of attributes consisting of cardio-respiratory endurance, muscle endurance/strength, balance, flexibility, agility and coordination.

The bottom line is that physical activity is a key component to living healthy.

"Insufficient physical activity is 1 of the 10 leading risk factors for global mortality and is on the rise in many countries, adding to the burden of NCDs and affecting general health worldwide. People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active" - WHO

In actual sense, there really is a very thin line between physical fitness and exercise; so, to resolve this confusion (especially for those who hate the thought of exercise or going to the gym):

No, you don't have to go to the gym to be healthy; you don't have to lift weights; you certainly don't have to plan your activities. But, you gotta get up, move around; take the stairs instead of the elevators; ride a bike instead of driving; go outside and play with your kids; get your blood pumping.

Regular physical activity can improve your cognitive abilities (as seen in the previous post), boost your energy levels and even help you sleep better.

With this information, I hope you take this advice and get active.

Remain fit and sexy ;)