Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise
Continuous movement that raises heart rate and breathing: brisk walking, cycling, swimming, jogging.
What it is for: improves endurance and the health of the heart and blood vessels.
Exercise
Movement is health.
Clear information about movement, muscle and bone, for everyone: people who are healthy, people starting from zero, people who train and people recovering from an injury or surgery.
Basic concepts
Four ideas to start
What is physical activity?
It is any body movement produced by muscles that uses energy: walking, climbing stairs, working, playing, doing housework.
What is exercise?
It is a part of physical activity: planned, structured and repetitive, with the goal of improving or maintaining physical fitness. Everyone who exercises is being physically active, but not all physical activity is exercise.
What is a sedentary lifestyle?
It means spending much of the day sitting or reclining, using very little energy (while awake, not sleeping). A person can exercise and still spend the rest of the day sitting. That is why it matters to break up long periods of sitting and move throughout the day.
What is NEAT?
It stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the energy we use for everything that is not sleeping, eating or sports exercise. It includes walking to work, typing on the computer, gardening or moving your hands and feet while seated. It is an important part of daily energy expenditure, and varies a lot from person to person depending on work, environment and lifestyle.
Common myths
Does it count or not?
Is sweeping or mopping exercise?
It is physical activity, and it counts: sweeping and mopping are of moderate intensity. By definition, it is not exercise because it is not a planned, structured activity aimed at improving fitness. It adds to your daily movement, but does not replace an exercise program.
Is going up and down stairs exercise?
It is physical activity, and an excellent way to add movement to your day. If it is done in a planned, repeated way with the goal of improving fitness, it becomes exercise.
Benefits
What is exercise for?
Regular physical activity is associated with:
- Lower risk of death from any cause and from cardiovascular disease
- Lower risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer
- Fewer falls
- Better mental and cognitive health: movement helps relieve stress
- Better sleep
Recommendation
How much is recommended?
For adults, the recommendation is:
- 45 minutes a dayof moderate-intensity aerobic activity
- 2 days a week (minimum)of muscle strengthening for the major muscle groups
- 3 or more days a weekof multicomponent activity (balance and strength) from age 65
Any amount of movement is better than none. Start NOW!
Types of exercise
What each one is for
Strength exercise
You tire faster, your joints complain and you no longer have the strength you used to.
Working the muscles against a resistance that increases progressively: weights, elastic bands or your own body weight.
What it is for: increases strength and muscle mass, and supports independence in daily activities. It is especially important with age.
Balance and motor control exercise
Exercises that train stability and coordination: standing on one foot, changes of direction, trunk control.
What it is for: improves stability and helps prevent falls, especially in older adults.
Mobility and flexibility exercise
Movements and stretches that take joints and muscles through their full range.
What it is for: maintain and regain the range of motion needed to move comfortably.
Pilates
An exercise method that combines movement control, breathing, strength and mobility, with an emphasis on the center of the body.
What it is for: work on posture, stability and body control, with the intensity adjusted to each person.
Kegel exercises
Repeated contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles, described by gynecologist Arnold Kegel in 1948.
What they are for: strengthen and coordinate the pelvic floor. They are part of the conservative treatment of urinary incontinence in women, and effects usually take one to three months of consistent practice.
Hypopressive exercises
A technique that combines postures, breathing and a breath-hold with the abdomen drawn in, to work the abdominal wall and pelvic floor.
What they are used for: they are included in women's physical therapy programs, according to each case's assessment.
Therapeutic exercise
Exercise prescribed and dosed by a physical therapist for a specific condition, according to each person's evaluation and goal.
What it is for: regain function after an injury or surgery, manage pain and reduce the risk of the problem returning.
Muscle and bone
What is good to know
What is muscle atrophy?
It is a decrease in the size and mass of the muscle. It appears when the muscle is used less: due to immobilization, prolonged rest, sedentary habits, illness or age. Muscle responds to use: with progressive exercise, strength and muscle mass can be regained.
What is sarcopenia?
It is a muscle disease that develops over a lifetime and is more common in older adults, although it can appear earlier. Its main feature is low muscle strength; it is confirmed when there is also low muscle quantity or quality, and it is more severe when physical performance is also affected, for example when walking or getting up from a chair.
What is osteoporosis?
It is a bone disease in which bone density and mass decrease, or the structure changes, which increases the risk of fractures. It is often silent: many times there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Physical activity, especially weight-bearing such as walking, a diet with enough calcium, vitamin D and protein, and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle support bone health.
What is rhabdomyolysis?
It is the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers, which releases their contents into the blood and can affect the kidneys. It can appear after very intense exercise the body is not prepared for, and also from other causes. Signs are severe muscle pain and weakness, swelling and dark urine; it requires urgent medical attention. That is why exercise should start gradually and progress with supervision.
How are muscles nourished?
To work, muscle receives oxygen and fuel through the blood, mainly carbohydrates and fats. To repair and grow it needs amino acids, which come from dietary protein. It also depends on good hydration and rest.
What role does protein play?
Protein provides the amino acids the body uses to repair and build muscle tissue. It is found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes and grains. The right amount depends on each person's age, physical activity and health conditions.
How is muscle mass improved?
With three elements working together: strength exercise with progressive loading, enough energy and protein in the diet, and adequate rest.
What about protein supplements?
They can help when diet does not cover what is needed, but they do not replace a complete diet or exercise. The indication and amount should be personalized, with guidance from your doctor or a nutritionist.