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Save-for-Later: 5 Activity and Rest Tips and Takeaways (Printable Sheet)
Article Top 10 Health Benefits of Physical Activity
The Benefits of Getting
Regular Activity and Exercise
The health benefits of regular physical activity are indisputable, supported by decades of clinical and peer-reviewed research and scientific study. And the benefits aren’t limited to serious athletes.
Even small volumes of activity—as little as 15 minutes per day—help improve health.1
So do what you can with the time you have.
Because everyone can benefit from being active.
And literally every step you take makes a difference.
Including active transportation (walking or biking to get somewhere)
and leisure-time, regular physical activity:
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Be strong, fit, and resilient. Feel good about yourself in your own body and mind—and be healthy and ready to take on life’s challenges at any age.
All starting with the choice to get active a few minutes more every day.
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1↑ Warburton, D. E. R., & Bredin, S. S. D., Health benefits of physical activity. Current Opinion in Cardiology, volume 32, issue 5, pages 541 – 556, 2017. DOI: 10.1097/HCO.0000000000000437, accessed November 29, 2023.
2↑ Scarabottolo, C. C., Tebar, W. R., Gobbo, L. A., Ohara, D., Ferreira, A. D., da Silva Canhin, D., & Christofaro, D. G. D., Analysis of different domains of physical activity with health-related quality of life in adults: 2-year cohort. Health and quality of life outcomes, volume 20, issue 1, page 71, April 29, 2022. PMID: 35488344, PMCID: PMC9052447. Available from: https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-022-01981-3, accessed November 30, 2023. https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-022-01981-3
3↑ Sullivan Bisson, A. N., Robinson, S. A., Lachman, M. E., Walk to a better night of sleep: testing the relationship between physical activity and sleep. Sleep Health, Volume 5, Issue 5, 2019, Pages 487 – 494. PMID: 26995692. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801055/, accessed November 28, 2023. https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(16)00064-7/fulltext
4↑ Sullivan Bisson, A. N., Robinson, S. A., Lachman, M. E., Walk to a better night of sleep: testing the relationship between physical activity and sleep. Sleep Health, Volume 5, Issue 5, 2019, Pages 487 – 494. PMID: 31358470, PMCID: PMC6801055. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801055/, accessed November 28, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801055/
5↑ Wood, C., Clow, A., Hucklebridge, F., Law, R. and Smyth, N., Physical fitness and prior physical activity are both associated with less cortisol secretion during psychosocial stress. International Journal of Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, volume 31, issue 2, pages 135 – 145, 2018. PMID: 29037088. Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20190228110715id_/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/90e9/a943a3a5020ddf532224a1f3696a8c46b7aa.pdf, accessed November 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20190228110715id_/http:/pdfs.semanticscholar.org/90e9/a943a3a5020ddf532224a1f3696a8c46b7aa.pdf
6↑ Biddle, S., Physical activity and mental health: evidence is growing. World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), volume 15, issue 2, pages 176 – 177, 2016. PMID: 27265709, PMCID: PMC4911759. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911759/pdf/WPS-15-176.pdf, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911759/pdf/WPS-15-176.pdf
7↑ Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, et al., Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine, February 16, 2023. PMID: 36796860, PMCID: PMC10579187. Available from: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195.full.pdf, accessed November 30, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195.full.pdf
8↑ Kvam, S., Kleppe, C. L., Nordhus, I. H., & Hovland, A., Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, volume 202, pages 67 – 86, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063, accessed November 30, 2023.
9↑ Erickson, K. I., Hillman, C., Stillman, et al, for 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, Physical Activity, Cognition, and Brain Outcomes: A Review of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, volume 51, issue 6, pages 1242 – 1251, June 2019. PMID: 31095081, PMCID: PMC6527141. Available from: http://bachlab.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Erickson2019.pdf, accessed November 30, 2023. http://bachlab.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Erickson2019.pdf
10↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, US Department of Health & Human Services, Benefits of Physical Activity. August 1, 2023. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm