Of course physical activity is helps you achieve a healthy weight!

   Many people are aware that there are tons of different diets out there but most of them just limit your nutritional intake as mentioned in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By limiting your nutritional intake it may help you lose weight but it would most likely be short term weight loss. For most people who want to achieve a healthy weight, they would want to keep it for the long run. In fact, to achieve or maintain a healthy weight it must be made into a daily lifestyle. To incorporate it into a lifestyle, it must include "healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses", as also mentioned in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

   Choosing a healthy eating habit is very important and understanding the nutrition facts on the back of food labels are crucial. In class we learned that it is important to get nutrients from a variety of food groups which includes fruits and vegetables. Choosing whole grain and low-fat foods are also important. The key is to stay away from saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol as much as possible.

   So, what is physical activity? As mentioned in An Invitation to Health by Dianne Hales and Lara Lauzon, physical activity is "all leisure and non-leisure body movement produced by the skeletal muscles and resulting in an increase in energy expenditure". Exercise on the other hand is different from just physical activity, it is a "planned, structured, repetitive physical activity aimed at improving physical fitness".

   Now, you're probably wondering what you get from doing physical activities and exercising. As mentioned by Health Canada, physical activity does not only help in improving your health and well-being, it also helps you "reduce stress, strengthens the heart and lungs, increases energy levels, help you maintain and achieve a healthy body weight and it improves your outlook on life". I must admit, I thought that this was too good to be true, but when I started to incorporate running at least three times a week, it had made a big difference to me. I feel more refreshed and less stressed each time. Give it a try! you'll see a difference. It may not feel good as you are pushing yourself or the first few times you do it, but after a couple of weeks and doing it more often, you will see what a difference it makes. Of course, not everyone is going to start by running everyday, but you can always work your way up. Health Canada encourages Canadians to incorporate physical activity in you daily lives. Physical activity is not for certain age groups, but it benefits for everyone. This short video includes a few helpful tips and facts:



   Lastly, here are a few health benefits you gain from exercising as mentioned in An Invitation to Health (pg. 74):

1. Heart muscles become stronger
2. Blood pressure may drop slightly
3. Bones thicken and loss of calcium slows
4. Digestion and elimination is improved
5. Metabolism is increased so that the body burns more calories and body fat decreases

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Healthy Weight- it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle!. Retrieved July 9, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/

Hales, D. & Lara,  L. (2010). An Invitation to Health (Second Edition). Toronto: Thomson Wadsworth.

Health Canada. (2011). Physical Activity. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/physactiv/index-eng.php