Physical activity is an important component of fitness. That doesn't mean that a person needs to run marathons or lift heavy weights to be fit. It does mean that keeping our bodies moving throughout the day will keep us healthier overall. Use the tabs below to learn more about the health benefits of physical activity.
Physical
Benefits
Psychological
Benefits
Social
Benefits
In general, exercise and the fitness that it promotes improve a person's physical health. It reduces a person's risk of developing many debilitating conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Exercise also improves or maintains bone mass, muscle strength, and joint function.
How does physical activity provide these health benefits?
It presents the kind of resistance or stimulation that requires the body to use its systems in vigorous ways. If the activity is performed regularly, the body adjusts to prepare for future activity—by building more of the muscles needed for a specific movement, for instance.
Physical fitness is just as helpful for achieving and maintaining psychological health as it is physical health. A person who maintains even a moderate level of fitness can reduce or eliminate symptoms of anxiety and depression. For most people, physical fitness improves mood, quality of sleep, relaxation, and self-esteem.
How does physical activity help reduce stress?
It "uses up" substances in the bloodstream that cause anxiety when they leave the brain and circulate to various body systems. These substances include stress hormones and additional energy in the form of glucose. If these substances are not used for their intended purposes--to address the cause of the stress (the stressor), they can cause long-term psychological stress.
Being physically active gives people a chance to meet other exercisers and build community. A person who exercises with others is also more motivated to continue and be accountable. Loneliness decreases in exercisers who work out in groups or with a partner.
How do group or partner physical activities improve social health?
Answers may vary but include meeting new people with common interests, improved motivation to continue exercising, decreasing loneliness and isolation, and improved communication skills.
