Physical activity

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Preventative medicine

Physical activity is any activity that causes your body to work harder than normal. The actual amount of physical activity you need depends on your fitness goals, whether you are trying to lose weight, and how fit you are right now.

Fitness recommendations; Exercise

Physical activity can help you:

• Burn calories and reduce body fat
• Reduce your appetite
• Keep your current weight and control it

For the purpose of weight loss, physical activity works best when you also reduce the amount of calories you take in from food and drinks.

The number of calories burned during physical activity depends on:

• The amount of time you spend on physical activity: For example, walking for 45 minutes will burn more calories than walking for 20 minutes.
• Your body weight: For example, a 250-pound person will burn more calories walking for 30 minutes than a 185-pound person.
• Pace: For example, walking 3 miles per hour will burn more calories than walking 1.5 miles per hour.

BASAL METABOLIC RATE

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body uses when it is at rest. BMR accounts for most of your calorie use. Your basal metabolic rate is based on things your body always does such as breathing, breaking down food, and keeping your heart and brain working. Your age, sex, body weight, and level of physical activity affect the basal metabolic rate. Basal metabolic rate increases with the amount of muscle tissue you have, and it reduces with age.

Along with burning more calories, physical activity increases the BMR, and the BMR can remain increased after 30 minutes of moderate physical activity. For many people, the basal metabolic rate can be increased for approximately 48 hours after the activity. This means, for example, that after the physical activity, when a person is sitting and watching television, the body is using more calories than usual.

EFFECT ON APPETITE

Physical activity at a moderate rate does not increase the appetite. In some situations, the appetite will actually decrease. Research shows that the decrease in appetite after physical activity is greater in individuals who are obese than in individuals who are at their right body weight.