Physical Activity to Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Physical activity is essential for a healthy body. Whether you are trying to reach a healthy weight or keep your current weight maintained it is even more important to indulge in regular physical activity.

Physical activity helps to burn the calories that are used by your body to create energy. By adding in physical activity to your daily routine and reducing the intake of the daily calories, this will help in achieving weight loss.

In addition to achieving weight loss, physical activity also lowers the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Some benefits of physical activity include:

• Reduce high blood pressure
• Maintain weight
• Lower risk of diabetes, heart attack, cancer and stroke
• Reduce the risks of osteoporosis and arthritis
• Reduce anxiety and depression

How much physical activity is needed?

The need for physical activity varies from person to person, below are some guidelines that can help:

If your goal is to maintain weight, regular physical activity can help. Start gradually and work up to around 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, out of which 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise should be included.

If you want to reach a healthy weight goal, not only will changes in diet be needed, but also incorporating a higher amount of physical exercise. It is important to consult with your physician before beginning any weight loss plan for your health and safety.

To incorporate physical activity in general, aim to do at least 30 min of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 of the 7 days a week. Adding in two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week is also helpful. Building muscle strength will help with weight loss.

What is moderate and vigorous physical activity?

If while exercising, your breathing and heart rate is faster than normal but you can carry a conversation properly then it is moderate physical activity. Some examples are:

• Playing with children
• Walking briskly for 15 minutes
• Biking at a casual speed
• Light yard work

If you are experiencing a very rapid breathing along with high heart rate that it is not possible to have a conversation then it is vigorous intensity physical activity. Some examples are:

• Jumping rope
• Swimming
• Jogging
• Running
• Competitive sports like basketball, football etc.