Types of Physical Activity

Physical activity is any movement that increases your heart rate and breathing. Being physically active improves your health and well-being. It has benefits for all ages, including reducing your risk for chronic diseases, improving your sleep, increasing your energy, and improving self-confidence and mental health. Adding more physical activity to your day provides extra health benefits.¹

Some examples of physical activity are:

• Going for a walk, bike, or run.
• Doing household chores.
• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Playing at the park.
• Raking leaves or shovelling snow.

Physical activity is important throughout your life, but what about physical literacy? Just as children learn language skills through reading and writing, they also need to learn movement skills through running, kicking, throwing, catching and jumping. When children learn these movement skills they improve their physical literacy and become more confident and comfortable with doing these movements, and when this happens children want to play and be active for a lifetime.

Physical activity recommendations by age:

• 0 to 4 years 
  180 minutes daily, spread throughout the day
• 5 to 17 years
  60 minutes each day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity
• 18 years and older
  150 minutes each week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, in bouts of 10 minutes or more

There are different levels, or intensities, of physical activity based on how hard your body has to work.

Moderate intensity

You can usually tell that you are doing a moderate-intensity physical activity if you can talk but not sing a song while doing an activity.

Examples include:

• brisk walking,
• playground activities, and
• bike riding.

Vigorous intensity

You can usually tell that you are doing a vigorous-intensity physical activity if you are not able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Examples include:

• running, and
• swimming.

Strength and balance

For ages 5 to 18, it is important to include activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least three times per week. For adults 18 years and older, it is beneficial to add muscle and bone strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice per week. For adults 65 years and older it's important to perform activities to enhance balance and prevent falls.

Examples include:

• lifting weights,
• working with resistance bands,
• Tai Chi,
• yoga, and
• push-ups or modified push-ups.