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Benefits of Physical Activity
Just as we need to eat different types of foods to keep us healthy,
we also need to do many different physical activities with our bodies.
What does it mean to be physically fit?
Physical fitness involves several types of fitness. There are five main components that are important to know.
The better you are in each component, the healthier you will be. These five components are cardiovascular
fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, stretching or flexibility, and body composition.
Each time we eat food, we get energy. We must be active to use that energy. If not, it gets stored in our body as fat,
which can make us unhealthy. Exercising decreases our chances of developing diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease,
and Stroke by keeping our hearts healthy and lowering blood pressure. It helps us stay looking and feeling fit. It helps
us sleep and relax better, gives us more energy, and improves the overall way our body functions. It is also good for
our heart, lungs, bones, and muscles. It gets rid of stress and makes us feel good about ourselves by increasing the
activity of endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals that are released within our bodies when we exercise. They are
natural pain killers; they increase relaxation and give us a good feeling inside.
We can incorporate physical activity into our daily lives however we want. It is up to us to find creative ways to do
that. Some activities we forget about like taking out the trash, vacuuming, washing the dishes, cleaning our bedroom,
and mowing the lawn. These are called activities of daily living and we can also count these as physical activity.
There are five types of exercise. They are Isometric, Isotonic, Isokinetic, Anaerobic, and Aerobic.
Isometric:
Contracting your muscles without moving them. Isometric exercises make your muscles larger and
stronger. This kind of exercise builds muscle strength. Make a fist and hold it for 10 seconds. This
is an example of isometric exercise.
Isotonic:
Contracting muscles to produce movement. Lifting weights, running, walking, and swimming
are examples. Isotonic exercises help you have muscle strength and endurance.
Isokinetic:
Moving weight through a full range of motion. Using an exercise machine with weights is
an example of Isokinetic exercise. These exercises build strength and improve flexibility.
Anaerobic:
Exercises that are done for a short amount of time and do not use oxygen. During these exercises, your heart
cannot pump blood fast enough to supply the oxygen you need. You become short of breath. Running a 100
meter dash is a good example. Anaerobic exercises help develop muscle strength, endurance and speed.
Aerobic:
Exercises that use a lot of oxygen for a long period of time.You breathe in the same amount of air your
body uses. Your heart beats at a fast, but steady pace. These exercises lower your body fat and build
cardiorespiratory endurance. Examples are walking fast, jogging, and biking at a steady pace for at least
twenty minutes continuously.
It is very important that we do a combination of these types of exercise to keep our bodies fit. That gives you
more room to be creative and change up your exercises from week to week. Have fun and try to get your friends
and family involved. One way we measure progress in these areas is to test ourselves. These kinds of tests are
called fitness tests. Most of these tests include a one-mile run/walk, curl-ups, push-ups, trunk lift, sit and reach,
and measuring height and weight or body composition.
Activities:
1. Identify the physical activities you do each day. Write everyone’s responses on the board. How many
activities can you list?
2. Visit www.NewsOK.com/NIE. Print off the activity log. Write down all of your activities for this week.
What are some other ways you could increase your physical activity each day?
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