FAQs: Exercise and Your Health

• Why should I be active?
• Can a lack of physical activity hurt your health?
• Why is America less active today as compared to 40 years ago?
• What does it mean to be physically fit?
• Why is physical activity so important for children?
• What and how much physical activity is recommended for a healthy individual?
• What are different examples of physical activity?
• Are there any risks to being more physically active?
• How does physical activity relate to mental health and mental ability?
• Does regular physical activity lower the risk of cancer?
• What level of physical activity is needed to be truly beneficial?
• How are obesity and cancer related?
• How can you prevent the risk of cancer and obesity?
• What are the statistics of being obese and getting cancer? What is the mortality rate?

Why should I be active?

As quoted by Dr. Ken Copper, the father of aerobics, "It's easier to maintain your health than regain it." Physical activity has many health benefits. Some examples include:

• reduces the risk of developing coronary heart disease
• reduces the risk of stroke
• lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure
• reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
• reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
• promotes psychological well-being and reduces feelings of stress
• helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
• active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.

Can a lack of physical activity hurt your health?

There is supporting evidence that shows those who are not physically active are not improving their health, but may actually be hurting it. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality from many chronic diseases.

Unknown, (2007, May 22). Why should I be active? Retrieved October 31, 2007, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

Why is America less active today as compared to 40 years ago?

With changes in technology, physical labor is not needed like it was. In the past, people engaged in regular, moderate to vigorous, physical activity when it came to performing their jobs, household chores, and even traveling. Today, machines do most of the work that used to be done by hand and buses and cars have replaced walking and cycling. While some still remain active through recreational activities, many spend much time in sedentary recreations, such as watching television or using home computers.

World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a Global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.

What does it mean to be physically fit?

It is more than being able to run long distances or lift a lot of weight at the gym. Being fit is not defined just by what kind of activity you do, how long you do it, or at what level of intensity. While these are important measures of fitness, they only address single areas. Overall fitness is made up of five main components:

• Cardio-respiratory endurance
• Muscular strength
• Muscular endurance
• Body composition
• Flexibility

Unknown, (2007, May 22). Components of physical fitness. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

Why is physical activity so important for children?

Increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children are likely to become inactive adults.

Unknown, (2007). Exercise (physical activity) and children. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from American Heart Association Web site.

What and how much physical activity is recommended for a healthy individual?

For health benefits to the heart, lungs and circulation, it is suggested to participate in any moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week at 50-85 percent of your maximum heart rate. What's important is to include physical activity as part of a regular routine. Activities that are particularly beneficial when done on a regular basis include brisk walking, hiking, stair-climbing, aerobic exercise, jogging, running, bicycling, swimming and activities such as soccer and basketball that include continuous running.

Unknown, (2007). Physical activity. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from American Heart Association Web site.

What are different examples of physical activity?

Performing manual labor, household work by hand, walking, and cycling are forms of vigorous to moderate physical activity. Exercise and other forms of physical training, such as sports which increase oxygen uptake and improve cardiovascular function; or anaerobic activity, such as lifting weights which increases muscle strength and mass, are types of recreational physical activity. Sitting, standing, and other light physical activity intrinsic to normal waking life, such as stretching, fidgeting, and maintaining postures, are also forms of physical activity.

World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a Global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.

Are there any risks to being more physically active?

Persons with known cardiovascular disease or who have already experienced a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, stroke, or heart surgery, should have a physical evaluation by their physician before beginning even a moderate physical activity program. However, other than in those cases, most adults do not need to consult their physicians before engaging in moderate-intensity physical activity. The most common risk associated with physical activity is injury to the musculoskeletal system-the bones, joints, tendons, and muscles. These injuries are usually not serious, often require no treatment other than a few days of rest, and can be minimized by taking sensible precautions such as gradually working up to the desired level of activity and by avoiding excessive amounts of exercise at one time.

Unknown, (2007, May 22). Risks to being active. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

How does physical activity relate to mental health and mental ability?

Physically active people tend to have better mental health, according to the 1996 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Public Health. Compared with inactive people, the physically active had higher scores for positive self-concept, more self-esteem and more positive "moods" and "affects." More-active people also seem to score higher on perceived ability to perform activities of daily living, physical well-being and other measures related to quality of life. A few studies even suggest that more-active lifestyles may be linked with higher levels of alertness and mental ability, including the ability to learn.

Unknown, (2007). Exercise (physical activity), mental health and mental ability. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from American Heart Association Web site.

Does regular physical activity lower the risk of cancer?

Observational studies have examined the possible association between physical activity and the risk of developing colon cancer. In 2002, a major review of observational trials found that physical activity reduced colon cancer risk by 50 percent. This risk reduction occurred even with moderate levels of physical activity. For example, one study showed that even moderate exercise, such as brisk walking for 3 to 4 hours per week, can lower colon cancer risk.

What level of physical activity is needed to be truly beneficial?

According to the 2007 report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, regular, sustained physical activity protects, or may protect, against cancers of the colon, breast (postmenopausal), and endometrium. There is limited evidence to what specific type or degree of physical activity is sufficient. Nevertheless, to prevent these cancers, overall evidence supports the idea that the more physically active people are, the better. This does, however, exclude extreme levels of activity.

World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a Global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.

How are obesity and cancer related?

Obesity is associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer including gall bladder and prostate. In addition, obesity and physical inactivity may account for 25 to 30 percent of several major cancers including colon, breast (postmenopausal), endometrial, kidney, and cancer of the esophagus.

How can you prevent the risk of cancer and obesity?

Preventing weight gain can reduce the risk of many cancers. Experts recommend that people establish and maintain habits of healthy eating and physical activity early in life to prevent becoming overweight and obesity. It is recommended that for those who are already overweight or obese to avoid additional weight gain, and to lose weight through a low-calorie diet and exercise. A weight loss of only 5 to 10 percent of total weight can provide health benefits.

What are the statistics of being obese and getting cancer? What is the mortality rate?

It was reported in Cancer Detection and Prevention that about 41,000 new cases of cancer in the United States were estimated to be due to obesity in 2002. This means that about 3.2 percent of all new cancers are linked to obesity. A recent report from the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that, in the United States, 14 percent of deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of deaths in women were due to overweight and obesity.

Unknown, (2004, March 16). Obesity and cancer: Questions and answers. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from National Cancer Institute Web site.

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