Benefits Of Physical Activity

Correct Answer A. B. C. D. E.
A. Improve mental health and mood. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can help reduce depression and may help you sleep better. Research has shown that doing aerobic or a mix of aerobic & muscle-strengthening activities 3 to 5 times a week for 30 to 60 min. can give you these mental health benefits.
B. Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which you have some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. Research shows that lower rates of these conditions are seen with 120 to 150 minutes a week of at least moderate-intensity aerobic activity. The more physical activity you do, the lower your risk will be.
C. Reduce risk of some cancers. Physically active people have a lower risk of colon cancer and women have a lower risk of breast cancer than people who are not active. Some research findings suggest that risk of endometrial cancer and lung cancer may be lower for regularly physically active people.
D. Strengthen bones and muscles. Research shows that doing aerobic, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening physical activity of at least a moderately-intense level can slow the loss of bone density that comes with age. Muscle strengthening activities can help you increase or maintain your muscle mass and strength. Slowly increasing the amount of weight and number of repetitions you do will give you even more benefits, no matter your age.
E. Increase chances of living longer. Research has shown that physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers. This is remarkable in two ways:
1. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large of an impact on your health as physical activity. People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active less than 30 minutes a week.
2. You don’t have to do high amounts of activity or vigorous-intensity activity to reduce your risk of premature death. You can put yourself at lower risk of dying early by doing at least 150 minutes a week of modern-intensity aerobic activity.

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

B. Get at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity on most days of the week. For most people greater benefits can be gained by taking part in more vigorous physical activity for longer periods.

C. Exercise increases HDL or “good” cholesterol, high amounts of which can protect against heart attack.

B. To maintain weight: Work you way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week. Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity can help you maintain your weight over time. However, the exact amount of physical activity needed to do this is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person. It’s possible that you may need to do more than the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to maintain your weight.

To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your diet and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan.

Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, U.S. Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture

B. & C. Build up over time if you want to do more vigorous-level activities, slowly replace those that take moderate effort like brisk walking, with more vigorous activities like jogging.