Exercise Vs. Physical Activity

When most people hear the word "exercise," they think of running or swimming or working out on a treadmill. But many people don't realize that everyday tasks are like exercise because they are physical activities. Depending on how hard your body works when you do them, daily tasks can have health benefits.

Physical activities like weeding your garden or vacuuming your living room can leave you feeling like you've had a good work-out--and you probably have! Many household tasks, such as walking the dog or scrubbing the floor, increase your heart rate and require muscular strength and flexibility. You use your heart, lungs, bones and muscles to do these daily jobs--so of course, all of them can be counted in as part of your daily exercise.

Although 30 minutes of daily exercise is recommended, remember that it does not need to be done all at one time. A 10-minute walk or the 15 minutes you spent raking those leaves all can be counted as part of your 30 minutes of daily exercise. Even done for brief amounts of time, these daily "mini-workouts" can add up--to a healthier you.

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