Feel Awesomer: Physical Activity and Fulfillment
How do you feel after a bike ride, run, trip to the gym or your favorite physical activity? Recharged Stronger? More self confident? What about happier?
Physical activity is connected to improved physical, psychological, and emotional well being. There are many “whole body” reasons to be physically active. How do you feel when stagnant and not physically active, grumpy? Moody?Angry? Compared to moving around and active? Happier? Energized? Grateful?
Anxiety, depression, stress, and mental wellness are a combination of circumstantial life factors and lack of self care. This includes the often neglected physical activity. Denying the role of physical activity on mental wellness would be naïve. Consider your personal level of happiness and energy when sick, hurt, or busy, limiting activity. Movement influences an array of functions: biologically, socially, emotionally, and even spiritually.
Definitions of Physical Activity
“Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.” ~The World Health Organization
“Physical activity in daily life can be categorized into occupational, sports, conditioning, household, or other activities. Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness. Physical fitness is a set of attributes that are either health or skill related.” ~Caspersen, Powell, Christenson
“Any movement of your body that results in an increased use of energy. This can include leisure activities as well as work…. Exercise is physical activity that’s planned, structured and repeated. ” ~Health Link British Columbia
The opposite of physical activity is physical inactivity which can be defined as a sedentary lifestyle where a person is not engaging in physical activity, “Adults are classified as inactive if they did not report any sessions of light to moderate or vigorous leisure-time physical activity of at least 10 minutes a day.” Wendy Bumgardner
History and Physical Activity
The concept of needing to find physical activity is relatively new. Human beings have been roaming the earth for hundreds of thousands of years (or more). Never needing a gym membership to get physical activity, because surviving, finding food, avoiding saber tooth tiger attacks, and just existing was physical activity, every day, all day.
Sitting at a desk, having meals prepared, and everything handed to us is a new construct (in the grand scheme of humankind this is new, and is not how all people live currently, obviously). Bodies evolve and adapt to the changes in behavior and activity level, be aware of how movement could influence happiness and wellness.
Physical activity produces chemicals enhancing mood and happiness (More to come on this later). Think about evolution. Assume these “happy chemicals” (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, etc.) that are produced when physically active have a scale in our body from 0 (sad and depressed) to 100 (you just won the lottery on your wedding day while eating bacon). From a purely physical activity standpoint, those working in fields or active labor would have a happiness chemical level naturally of 75, pretty happy biologically. Sitting at a desk is minimal physical activity and would hit potentially a 25. Obviously this all made up numbers and hypothetical as there are many factors, but you get the point, work is not often physical in nature anymore.
Some people naturally get physical activity in their everyday life. Being on foot all day, working, moving around, and needing to be physically engaged as a major part of your work life, you may be getting enough physical activity (landscapers, mechanics, builders, construction workers, plumbers, servers, etc.). For many people, work won’t be enough physical activity and it needs to become a bit more intentional and practiced. Continue to evolve and adapt your movement to the changes in your job and lifestyle.
Quotes on Physical Activity
“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” ~Plato
“Physical activity is an excellent stress buster and provides other health benefits as well. It can also improve your mood and self-image.” ~John Wickham
“You can reach maximum performance by engaging in physical activities…dancing daily is a good physical activity” ~Lailah Gifty Akita
“It is certain that, as in the body, when no labor or natural exercise is used, the spirits which want their due employment turn against the constitution and find work for themselves in a destructive way…” ~Anthony Ashley Cooper
References and Resources
- Bumgardner: What is Physical Inactivity?
- Caspersen, Powell, Christenson: Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research.
- Plato: Quote Garden: Inspirational Quotes on Exercise
- John Wickham: Inspirational Quotes on Physical Activity
- Lailah Gifty Akita: Physical Activity Quotes
- Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st earl of Shaftesbury: Physical Activity Quotes
- Center for Disease Control: Physical Activity and Health
- Chris Bergland: Harvard Study Reports: Happier Adults May Exercise More
- Cathe Friedrich: 5 Brain-Boosting Chemicals Released During Exercise
- Robinson, Segal, Smith: The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
- Paige Maslen: The Social and Academic Benefits of Team Sports
- Drew Mikita: Mental Workout: The Two Qs of Goal Setting
- Drew Mikita: Positive Psychology: Social Comparisons
- Gretchen Reynolds: Even a Little Exercise Makes us Happier
- Ethan Boldt: 20 Exercises to Do at Your Desk — Get Fit at Work?!
- The World Health Organization: Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health