We live in a world now that is obsessed with fitness watches and fitness gear and we hear the words “steps” and the like ALOT. So I thought the first blog post should be defining how we know when we are exercising vs. physical activity. We are going to talk about steps, exercise and more!
The first thing we need to understand is the difference in being physically active and exercise. Being physically active is defined as any movement that requires energy expenditure. Someone who is physically active may stand for a good portion of the day, have an active job or lifestyle, and things of the like. The thing we hear the most is step count. You may have heard that you should be aiming for 10,000 steps per day and that shows you are more physically active than someone who doesn’t get that number of steps. This is a good rule of thumb and is easy to judge if you have a device that can count steps. It is not the only way to determine activity but is an easy way to help determine.
So then what is exercise? Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity. So how do you know when you are being active and exercising? The easiest way is intentionality. You intentionally carve out a time to go on a walk, lift weights, or do yoga (among many other choices). When you are partaking in exercise you are being physically active.
Exercise can be broken down into 4 broad categories- cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility and neuromotor. Here are some examples of each:
- Cardio- walking, running, biking, etc
- Resistance- weight lifting, body weight strengthening, band exercises etc.
- Flexibility- yoga, static stretching, dynamic stretching, mobility exercises, etc.
- Neuromotor- Usually this category can fit into one of the above, but it includes things like ladder drills, single leg movements, balance exercises etc.
It is possible to be someone who is physically active and not exercise (someone with an active job such as teaching or nursing), it is also possible to be someone who exercises and isn’t physically active other than the time they are exercising. Someone who has a desk job may be a good example of that.
It is frequently misunderstood that physical activity and exercise are the same thing. While exercising you are being physically active, but being active does not mean a person exercises. I hear a lot of talk about ways to increase physical activity in a person’s life and it is misunderstood as exercise. Do not get my wrong, physical activity and being more active is GREAT, but parking further away at target is not exercise, it is physical activity.
So what are we getting at? We really want to have a great balance of both. We want to have an active lifestyle AND exercise frequently. Having an active lifestyle is excellent for your health, but scheduling purposeful exercise is needed for things like increasing strength, reducing chances of injury, increasing stamina and so much more.
Elliott's Active Academy 