{"id":22648,"date":"2025-01-01T07:30:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T14:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=22648"},"modified":"2025-12-22T09:03:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T16:03:50","slug":"every-physical-activity-you-do-throughout-your-day-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/every-physical-activity-you-do-throughout-your-day-counts\/","title":{"rendered":"All movement counts as exercise. Take advantage of a free prescription: Move more."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"a
Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That brisk walk across the parking lot \u2014 it counts. Shoveling the walk \u2014 it counts. Vacuuming the house \u2014 it counts too.<\/p>\n

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans<\/a> stress that the total weekly amount of physical activity, not necessarily duration, count toward your weekly “exercise,” and all movement benefits overall health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe physical activity guidelines reinforce that any amount of physical activity \u2014 walking, dancing, household chores \u2014 is beneficial compared to being sedentary,\u201d said Dr. David Rosenbaum<\/a>, a cardiologist with UCHealth in Colorado Springs.<\/a> \u201cEverything you do counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, exercise is so good for all of us that if doctors could give every patient a single prescription they’d jot down one word: exercise. It doesn’t have to be fancy or formal. Just stand up more frequently and move.<\/p>\n

The advice from UCHealth experts is consistent: Get out of your office chair, and go take a walk through the halls or to the furthest water cooler or bathroom. Every physical activity you do throughout your day counts toward better sleep and brain health, as well as lowering the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.<\/p>\n

More evidence, more benefits \u2014 same prescription<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe actual recommendations for physical activity are unchanged in the guidelines,\u201d explained Dr. Patrick Green<\/a>, a cardiologist with UCHealth in northern Colorado<\/a>. \u201cAdults should get 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 to 100 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Muscle strengthening with resistance training should be done two times per week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moderate-intensity activities include walking, ballroom dancing, gardening and water aerobics. Vigorous activities are those in which you\u2019re out of breath, like power walking, jogging or running, swimming laps or playing a singles game of tennis. Muscle-strengthening activities include everyday behaviors \u2014 such as lifting children, climbing stairs or shoveling \u2014 just as much as using free weights or elastic bands.<\/p>\n

Exercise and healthy habits start early. So should encouragement.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Children ages 6 to 17 should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day. The 2018 guidelines also include information for 3- to 5-year-olds.<\/p>\n

Bone-strengthening, balance and flexibility activities are beneficial. Work on them individually or find an exercise or activity that combines them all, such as yoga or tai chi. Children can participate in these activities too, but they can also achieve these benefits in simple play by jumping, skipping or dancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeart-healthy habits in adults are rooted in the environment and behaviors in childhood,\u201d Green said. \u201cUnhealthy behavior when young often continues in adulthood and increases cardiovascular risk. Adopting heart-healthy behaviors requires the involvement of family, teachers and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where are we now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to Green, only 1% of children have ideal dietary habits, and fewer than 50% of adolescents get the guideline-recommend amounts of physical activity.<\/p>\n

Adults fare even worse.<\/p>\n

Currently, only 26% of men, 19% of women and 20% of teenagers are meeting the activity recommendations.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting just 25% of those people to be more active would prevent almost 75,000 deaths annually in the United States,\u201d Rosenbaum explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything you do during your day counts toward the goal of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. \u2026 Walk for a few minutes at lunch or with your family after dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Dancing, playing, and even doing house chores count towards your daily recommended minutes of exercise. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whether exercising or another physical activity, just move!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe more we move, the better we feel, function and sleep,\u201d Rosenbaum said.<\/p>\n

The more time someone is sedentary \u2014 sitting at an office desk or on the couch watching a screen \u2014 the greater their chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, according to the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the stairs instead of the elevator,\u201d he said. \u201cPark farther away from stores to walk in. Housework and chores count. Risk of sedentary behavior on not only heart health but cancer risk is real.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefits of physical activity and exercise<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe guidelines emphasize that there is no minimum requirement of exercise to get a benefit and provide guidance on tested strategies that can be implemented to get the population more active,\u201d said Dr. William Cornwell<\/a>, a cardiologist at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus.<\/p>\n

Immediate benefits include improved sleep, reduced anxiety, improved cognition and lower blood pressure.\"man<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd most of these improvements become even larger with regular performance of this activity,\u201d Green said. It\u2019s also true that some of these benefits, such as lower blood pressure, last for hours \u2014 even days \u2014 after the bout of activity.<\/p>\n

Improve your sleep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When it\u2019s time for bed after a day of physical activity, people who meet the guidelines take less time to fall asleep, spend more time actually sleeping, have improved sleep quality and get more deep sleep.<\/p>\n

The same research shows that people who have met the guidelines \u2014 both those with chronic insomnia as well as those without diagnosed sleep disorders \u2014 have less daytime sleepiness and use sleep aid medication less.<\/p>\n

And these benefits come whether the activities take place eight hours before bed or three.<\/p>\n

Long-term benefits of movement<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to emphasize that exercise is just as important as any pill that you take,\u201d Cornwell said. \u201cIn my estimation, there are no drugs \u2014 and there never will be a drug \u2014 that has a risk\/benefit profile that is as favorable as exercise. \u2026 It is an incredibly important \u2018tool\u2019 that needs to be used.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, evidence suggests that exercise lowers the risk of certain types of cancer: bladder, endometrial, kidney, stomach, esophageal and lung cancer, beyond just breast and colon cancer, Green said.<\/p>\n

When physical activity becomes regular, the brain function that helps organize daily activities, plan for the future and control emotions also improves.<\/p>\n

Are we just too busy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans are not as busy as they think they are. It has been reported that in 2017, Americans watched just under eight hours of television per day,\u201d Cornwell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cExercise is not something that you do \u2014 it\u2019s a lifestyle,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere is no magic pill that can be taken when you are 50 to 60 that will immediately reverse a lifetime of inactivity. You can afford to turn off the TV or any other device (phone, tablet, etc.) and go for a 30-minute walk with your family or your dog or during your lunch break. \u2026 It needs to be part of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That brisk walk across the parking lot \u2014 it counts. Shoveling the walk \u2014 it counts. Vacuuming the house \u2014 it counts too. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans stress that the total weekly amount of physical activity, not necessarily duration, count toward your weekly “exercise,” and all movement benefits overall health. \u201cThe physical activity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":73302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[271,253,227,3512,128,457,4097,9187,2276],"class_list":["post-22648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-exercise","tag-health-and-fitness","tag-health-and-wellness","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiovascular","tag-heart-health","tag-mens-health","tag-preventive-care","tag-readysetco","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPhysical activity and exercise: Everything you do counts - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Physical activity is more than just exercise. 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