Physical exercise

South African cricket player Makhaya Ntini doing a flexibility exercise.^[1]

The word exercise means:

Things to do to get some practical experience and skill in some activity.
Repeatedly moving the human body to make it stronger or better at doing something. This is called physical exercise.

Basic modes of physical exercises

People do physical exercises as a part of their healthy lifestyle to get stronger and healthier or stay strong and healthy or to improve their body image. There are three basic modes of physical exercises:

Flexibility exercises help the human body in general or its part in particular to be able to reach farther and bend better.
Aerobic exercises help the body work hard for a long time.
Anaerobic exercises, like lifting weights, make the arms and legs stronger.

Exercises can be an important part of physical therapy, weight loss, or sports performance.

Exercise can be fun, but it is important for the exerciser to do what he likes and eat enough calories , so when he exercises he is building up muscles, not just breaking them down for fuel. Carbohydrates are muscle-sparing; and if one does not get enough calories overall, there is the risk of burning muscles up with the fat to make up the deficit.

Exercise benefits

Benefits of exercise for all ages have been known since antiquity. Marcus Cicero, around 65 BC, stated: “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.”^[2]

The CDC recommends that adults should get 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.^[3] Regular exercise has been shown to help high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and depression, among others. Exercise also helps people feel less tired.^[4]

Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It also relieves stress,^[5] improves memory, helps sleep better, and boosts overall mood. Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication but without the side-effects, of course.^[6]

Examples of physical exercises

Physical Exercise Media

Cycling is a popular form of exercise.
Participant being guided through resistance exercise
Exercise affects many organs
Central (cardiovascular) and peripheral (skeletal muscle) adaptations to exercise training
Roper's gymnasium, Philadelphia, US, c. 1831
Skateboarding is good for cardiovascular health.^{[better source needed]}
Swimming as an exercise tones muscles and builds strength.
Athletics (ex. pole vault) as a form of exercise