Physical activity

Physical activity or exercise, refers to the process of burning calories using skeletal muscles of the body usually in the form of exercise or other physical activity.

Activities of daily living
Those activities that are considered to be essential functions of a personals daily life such as going to the bathroom, cooking, eating, and other routine activities are considered ADL's or activities of daily living.

What is the recommended physical activity for Americans?
Physical activity is important in preventing and treating overweight and obesity and is extremely helpful in maintaining weight loss, especially when combined with healthy eating.
 * It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week. More may be needed to prevent weight gain, to lose weight, or to maintain weight loss.
 * Less than 1/3 of adults engage in the recommended amounts of physical activity.
 * Many people live sedentary lives; in fact, 40% of adults in the United States do not participate in any leisure time physical activity.
 * 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day.

Role of diet for weight loss
It is important to realize that exercise only works in combination with a restricted diet for weight loss as exercise alone is pretty useless for weight loss.

Miles to walk to lose one pound
How many miles to lose one pound of body fat? For an average person, it takes about 18 miles to walk to lose one pound of fat. So, if you have 50 extra pounds of body weight, it takes about 940 mils of walking. However, due to the appetite stimulating effect of exercise, most people usually compensate by consuming a bit more calories when they exercise. This is the principal reason why most studies have shown exercise is not a very useful tool] on its own to lose weight.

Benefits of physical activity
Physical exercise is basic for accomplishing optimal health at each stage in life and centered to prevention programs and principles at every grade. While numerous of us recognize that active dwelling is key to coming to and maintaining a healthy heaviness, the long-term health benefits of normal personal undertaking continue far beyond a number on a scale. Being physically active can reduce the risk of unsafe chronic conditions such as heart disease, certain cancers, high blood force, and type2 diabetes regardless of age, race/ethnicity, weight,or personal ability.1 Still, many of us do not get the physical activity or exercise we need to enjoy a healthy, long life.In the joined States, an estimated one out of every 10premature killings is associated with physical inactivity.

How much exercise is needed for health for adults

 * According to the US Surgeon General, adults need about 2.5 hours of physical activity each week, or about 30 minutes per day for five or more days each week.
 * An interesting recent study, however, showed that, if you do intense activity of as little as just 4 minutes at least 3 times a week, you can hope to maintain good physical fitness. I,e, 12 minutes of physical activity of intense nature is all you need for fitness purposes in 3 short 4 minute periods spread over the week.

How long do the benefits of exercise last?
Let us say you exercise today, how long do you see the benefits? For most practical purposes, such as cardiovascular benefits and reducing insulin resistance, the benefits of exercise last about 48 hours, so you need to exercise at least every other day!

Children and physical activity

 * Kids or young people aged 6–17 years need at least one hour of daily physical activity.
 * Regular physical activity should include a variety of moderate and vigorous activities, as well as muscle-strengthening activities

Running for weight loss
Running is a form of physical activity that burns calories at a higher pace than walking and has cardiovascular benefits as it increases the heart rate.

Physical activity statistics in the United States
According to the BRFSS survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2012 in the United States with the question: During the past month, did you participate in any physical activity?

Percentage of adults in USA participating in the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity per week by race in 2011.