9/15/2016

Whyisphysicalactivityimportant?|ChooseMyPlate

Regularphy s ic alac tiv ity c anproduc elongtermhealthbenefits.Peopleofallages,shapes,sizes,and

abilities canbenefitfrombeingphys icallyactive.Themorephysicalactivityyoudo,thegreaterthe
healthbenefits .

Beingphysicallyactivecanhelpyou:
Inc reasey ourc hanc es ofliv inglonger
Feelbetterabouty ours elf
Dec reasey ourc hanc es ofbec omingdepressed
Sleepwellatnight
Mov earoundmoreeas ily
Hav es trongermus c les andbones
Stayatorgettoahealthy weight
Bewithfriendsormeetnewpeople
Enjoy yours elfandhav efun

Whenyouarenotphysicallyactive,youaremorelikelyto:
Getheartdis eas e
Getty pe2diabetes
Hav ehighbloodpres s ure
Hav ehighbloodc holes terol
Hav eastrok e
Phy sic alac tiv ity andnutritionwork togetherforbetterhealth.Beingactiveincreasestheamountof
caloriesburned.Aspeopleagetheirmetabolismslows,somaintainingenergybalancerequiresmoving
moreandeatingles s .

Sometypesofphysicalactivityareespeciallybeneficial:
Aerobicac tiv ities mak ey oubreatheharderandmakeyourheartbeatfaster.Aerobicactivities
c anbemoderateorv igorous intheirintensity.Vigorousactivitiestakemoreeffortthanmoderate
ones.Formoderateactivities,youc antalkwhileyoudothem,butyoucan'tsing.Forvigorous
activities,youc anonly s ay afewwordswithoutstoppingtocatchyourbreath.
Mus clestrengtheningac tiv itiesmakeyourmusclesstronger.Theseincludeactivitieslikepush
ups andliftingweights .Itis importanttoworkallthedifferentparts ofthebodyyourlegs,hips,
bac k,ches t,s tomac h,s houlders,andarms.
Bones trengtheningac tiv ities mak ey ourbonesstronger.Bonestrengtheningactivities,like
jumping,arees pec ially importantforchildrenandadolescents.Thes eac tivitiesproduceaforce
onthebones thatpromotes bonegrowthandstrength.
Balanc eands tretc hingac tiv ities enhancephysicalstabilityandflexibility,whichreducesriskof
injuries.Ex amples aregentlestretching,dancing,yoga,martialarts,andt'aichi.

Las t Updat ed: J un 10, 2015

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/physicalactivitywhy

1/1