For most adults, recess exercises and physical education classes have faded from daily life. Especially for those who consider themselves chronic couch potatoes, sitting at work and slumping at home has become routine. But get moving—prolonged inactivity could spell trouble for your health. Studies show many common cancers favor sedentary individuals.Physical activity is intrinsically linked to health. To encourage active participation in sports, China has designated August 8th as National Fitness Day. Today, experts from the Beijing CDC's Chronic Disease Prevention Division discuss the benefits of regular exercise to motivate your fitness journey. Lazy individuals, take note: Inactivity harms your health—and the evidence is clear. Globally, insufficient physical activity is becoming increasingly prevalent.Statistics show that over a quarter of adults worldwide are physically inactive, with approximately one-third of women and one-quarter of men failing to meet the minimum activity levels required for health maintenance.
Experts from the Municipal CDC's Chronic Disease Prevention Division explain that exercise significantly impacts overall health. Inactivity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers, as well as mortality from these conditions.Approximately 27% of diabetes cases and 30% of ischemic heart disease can be attributed to physical inactivity. Furthermore, lack of physical activity ranks among the primary risk factors for chronic disease mortality. Compared to those with adequate physical activity, individuals who are insufficiently active face a 20% to 30% higher risk of premature death.
Additional data confirms that "cancer caused by laziness" is no myth: 21% to 25% of breast and colorectal cancers are linked to physical inactivity.Conversely, an active lifestyle can prevent certain common cancers. Comparing cancer incidence between the most and least physically active populations reveals strong evidence of reduced risks for bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma, kidney, and stomach cancers—with relative risk reductions ranging from approximately 10% to 20%.
Get Moving for Major Health Benefits
Having discussed the harms of insufficient exercise, experts now outline its benefits. Regular physical activity reduces risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, colon cancer, breast cancer, and depression, while aiding weight management.By maintaining regular physical activity, we gain:
Stronger muscles, denser bones, and improved cardiovascular fitness. Physical activity strengthens muscle power, increases bone density, enhances ligament strength, boosts cardiorespiratory function, and improves overall balance, flexibility, and agility.
A healthier weight. During physical activity, skeletal muscle contraction consumes energy.Maintaining a balance between energy intake and expenditure is key to achieving and sustaining a healthy weight. Consistent physical activity reduces body fat accumulation, supporting weight management.
Sharper Brain FunctionThe hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory, learning, spatial orientation, and balance, typically shrinks by 2% to 3% every decade. Appropriate exercise slows hippocampal cell loss and enhances self-repair capabilities.
Lower Risk of Chronic Diseases Physical activity helps lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, increases insulin sensitivity, and improves lipid profiles. It reduces the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, various cancers, and depression, while also decreasing the risk of falls and hip or spinal fractures.
Cardio or Strength? Tailoring Your Exercise Plan
Exercise is essential for maintaining health—let's get moving. But faced with different workout options, do you ever feel confused about which to choose?At the gym, should I hit the treadmill or lift weights? After work, should I go for a walk or lift dumbbells? Experts from the Chronic Disease Institute explain that different exercise types impact the body differently, requiring a scientifically tailored combination.
Aerobic Exercise Aerobic exercise is often the first recommendation. The World Health Organization advises 30 minutes daily, totaling 150 minutes weekly, of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
What defines aerobic exercise? As the name suggests, these activities rely on oxygen for energy supply, primarily utilizing aerobic metabolism. Typically, aerobic exercises engage large muscle groups like the torso and limbs, maintaining a steady state over extended periods.
In daily life, brisk walking, running, cycling, jumping rope, and swimming all qualify as aerobic activities. How do you gauge moderate intensity for such exercises?From a personal perspective, if you feel your heart rate increase, experience slight breathlessness, break into a light sweat, and find singing difficult but conversation with a companion manageable, you've reached moderate intensity.
Aerobic exercise enhances cardiovascular function, lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, increases insulin sensitivity, improves lipid and endocrine system function, boosts bone density, and reduces body fat accumulation—all crucial for maintaining health.
Physical activity should also include resistance training. Is aerobic exercise alone sufficient? The answer is no. The World Health Organization recommends engaging in muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups at least twice a week. Resistance training involves repeated muscle movements against resistance, requiring powerful muscle contractions that cannot be sustained in a static state—it falls under anaerobic exercise.Resistance training helps maintain or enhance muscle strength, size, and endurance. However, safety precautions are essential, and sessions should be spaced every other day.
In daily life, activities like lifting dumbbells or doing push-ups qualify as resistance training. Such exercises improve muscle function, support bone health, and play a positive role in preventing falls.
Beyond aerobic and resistance training, other physical activities include joint flexibility exercises like stretching and yoga. These involve extending, flexing, and rotating the body or limbs to enhance joint flexibility and mobility. Balance and coordination exercises, such as calisthenics or dance, improve the body's ability to perform combined movements requiring equilibrium and coordination.
How should different exercise types be selected and combined? Experts recommend prioritizing aerobic exercise in daily physical activity. When feasible, aim for at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise weekly, which can be accumulated over multiple sessions, with each session lasting no less than 10 minutes. Complement this with resistance training, joint flexibility activities, and balance/coordination exercises.
To maximize health benefits, adults should increase aerobic activity to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise weekly, or a combination of both intensities.
Physical activity can take many forms: getting off the bus one stop early to walk to work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, cycling home after work, or engaging in active leisure activities like dancing or yoga. Set these seemingly simple yet often overlooked actions as achievable goals. Remind yourself daily, and as habits form gradually, you'll discover that staying active isn't difficult at all.