Hannah Carey

Emily Lawrence

Alexander O'Dell

Introduction:

Many sources extol the health benefits of being physically active, but what are the benefits and how important are they?More and more evidence is being released about the benefits of exercise on individuals, but what is true?   The benefits range depending on the health of the person as well as the part of the body being studied. There are many factors affecting the impact of exercise including age, sex, weight, other health conditions, etc. In this module we will look at some of the major diseases impacted by exercise, including:

Exercise and physical activity are broad terms that include many different kinds of activity. Different studies have identified different types of exercise as being more beneficial than others. A study in 1995 from the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine determined that adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week. The major types of exercise are:

  1. Flexibility exercises: focuses on stretching and improving the range of motion of muscles and joints.
  2. Aerobic exercises: low intensity exercise depending on the aerobic energy-generating process and builds endurance.
  3. Anaerobic exercises: high-intensity interval training triggering lactic acid formation and leads to muscle strength.

Source: Pate, Russell R., Michael Pratt, Steven N. Blair, William L. Haskell, and Caroline A. Macera. "Physical Activity and Public Health: A Recommendation From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine." JAMA 1995;273(5):402-07.

Learning Objectives:

After successfully completing this module, the student will be able to:


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