The human body was made to move and works best with plenty of physical activity. Maybe you love to walk outside or dance or do Taekwondo or swim. Did you realize though that our bodies are also moving each time we catch a chill and muscles in our skin flex so that we have goose bumps. When we watch a movie that has us rolling on the floor we are using our abs, back, shoulders, and muscles in the face to laugh, as well as improving circulation in our body. When you blink (an average of 10 times, each minute) you are moving, using lots of muscles in your eyes and face, not to mention the muscles that do the seeing in between the blinks.
The World Health Organization advocates for physical activity, and against sedentary behavior. All physical activity is important because it affects things that keep us alive:
Lower blood pressure
Regulation of blood sugar
Lower resting heart rate
Immune function
Muscular strength and endurance
Cardiorespiratory functioning
Flexibility
Joint health
Mental functioning
Quality of sleep
But, the physical activity that we plan for usually goes into the category of “exercise.” And that word can come with hangups for some of us.
What do I do?
Will I do it enough?
Will I do it right?
How much will it cost?
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