It all counts

About this video

Think about yesterday. Did you walk to a bus stop, carry shopping up the stairs, play with a child or sweep a floor? Many people would still say "I didn't do any exercise", but their body was working all day.

Physical activity is any movement of the body that uses your muscles and uses energy. The World Health Organization counts all of it: walking, cycling, climbing stairs, playing, dancing, gardening, carrying things, cleaning the house, and sport too. In WHO's words, "all physical activity counts", and a gym is one way to move, not the only one. Some activity makes your heart beat faster and you breathe harder for a while, like brisk walking, cycling or swimming; this is aerobic activity, "with oxygen", because the muscles keep going on oxygen from the air you breathe. Other activity makes your muscles work hard against a weight, like lifting or climbing. Both kinds count.

What does moving do? WHO lists it. Active people have a lower risk of dying early, and less heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Moving reduces the signs of depression and anxiety, and is linked to better thinking and better sleep. In children and teenagers it builds fitness and stronger bones; in older people it lowers the risk of falls.

Yet many people don't move enough. WHO says 31 per cent of adults in the world, about 1.8 billion people, nearly 1 in 3, are not active enough, and 86 per cent of young people aged 11 to 17, nearly 9 in 10, don't do the amount recommended for their age. The best news in WHO's advice is the shortest: any amount of physical activity is better than none. Start with small amounts and slowly do more, more often: the stairs, part of the way on foot, dancing in the kitchen. This video explains physical activity, from the lesson Why Moving Matters on Knaph.

Transcript

1. 0:00You walked to the bus, carried shopping, swept the floor. And you say you didn't do any exercise?
2. 0:09Physical activity is any movement that uses your muscles and energy. Walking, cycling, stairs, play, dancing, gardening, carrying, cleaning, and sport. All of it counts.
3. 0:23Some makes your heart beat faster and your breathing harder. That's aerobic. Some makes your muscles work against a weight. Both count.
4. 0:35Active people have a lower risk of dying early. Less heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers. Fewer signs of depression and anxiety, better sleep. Stronger bones in the young, fewer falls in the old.
5. 0:56Yet nearly one in three adults in the world isn't active enough. And for young people aged eleven to seventeen, it's nearly nine in ten.
6. 1:12Any amount is better than none. Start small, then slowly do more, more often.
7. 1:24Every movement counts. Start where you are.