EXSC 201 Physical Activity Concepts

Physical Activity

• Defined as bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle contraction, increasing energy expenditure beyond basal levels.
• Categories include mode, intensity, and purpose, with modes defined as types of activity.
• Purposes can be occupational, leisure, household, self-care, and transportation.
• Exercise participation may be analyzed separately from leisure-time activities.

Exercise

• A planned, structured, repetitive type of physical activity aimed at improving or maintaining physical fitness.
• Often referred to as exercise training, emphasizing leisure activities for health benefits.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

• Essential tasks for daily living encompassing eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, and basic mobility.

Aerobic Exercise (Training)

• Focuses on aerobic energy systems, enhancing capacity and efficiency, notably improving cardiorespiratory endurance.

Anaerobic Exercise (Training)

• Utilizes anaerobic energy systems to enhance capacity and acid-base balance tolerance during high-intensity exertion.

Balance Training

• Involves static and dynamic exercises to improve stability against postural challenges and environmental factors.

Endurance Exercise (Training)

• Characterized by repetitive dynamic contractions of large muscle groups over extended periods, including activities like running and cycling.

Flexibility Exercise

• Aims to improve joint range of motion through specific stretching exercises.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

• Activities promoting independent living such as meal preparation, financial management, and housework.

Leisure-Time Physical Activity

• Voluntary activities beyond essential daily tasks, encompassing sports, exercise, and recreational pursuits.

Lifestyle Activities

• Everyday tasks contributing to energy expenditure, such as walking instead of driving or taking stairs over elevators.

Resistance Training

• Focused on increasing skeletal muscle strength, endurance, power, and mass through weight or resistance exercises.

Accumulation

• Concept of reaching physical activity goals by performing short activity bouts throughout the day, e.g., three 10-minute sessions to meet a 30-minute goal.

Dose

• Refers to the amount of physical activity, comprising frequency, duration, and intensity.
• Frequency is the count of sessions per day/week; duration is the time spent in each bout; intensity reflects the energy required for the activity.

Dose Response

• Describes the relationship between physical activity dose and specific health or fitness outcomes.