Physical Activity And Exercise: The Wonder Drug

 by Daniel Bayliss, MS, CES

Let’s talk about the difference between physical activity and exercise – a common confusion for most people. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), physical activity is defined as “any bodily movement that is produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle and that substantially increases energy expenditure.” This simply means getting up and moving around – doing household chores, raking leaves or walking the dog – is physical activity.

Exercise, on the other hand, is defined as “a subclass of physical activity, planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness,” such as taking a 20-40 minute walk or going to the gym.

What most people don’t know... Click to read full article.