 Regular physical activity: physical activity performed on most days of the week

 Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety  Improves circulation to brain  Produces higher levels of norepinephrine- chemical that helps transmits brain messages along certain nerves; and beta- endorphins-chemicals which create a feeling of well-being  Counter balances bodily changes that occur in first stage of stress by using up the adrenaline that is secreted

 Promotes psychological well-being  Improved appearance from muscle tone and reduced body fat can boost self confidence  Increases self-discipline and self- respect

 Helps control weight  Increases metabolic rate, burns calories, shrinks fat cells  Regulate the hypothalmus in the brain, decreasing appetite

 Reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes  Builds and maintains healthy bones, muscles, and joints  Weight bearing activities help prevent osteoporosis-condition is which bones become brittle  Stretching helps muscles lengthen allowing joints to move freely and easily

 Reduces risk of premature death- death before a person reaches their predicted life expectancy  Helps older adults become stronger and better able to avoid falling

 Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases- diseases of the heart and blood vessels  Increases cardiac output-amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute  Makes the fibers of the heart thicker and stronger  Decreases resting heart rate  Helps control cholesterol levels  Increases HDL-high density lipoproteins (good) which carry cholesterol to the liver for excretion and breakdown  Decreases LDL-low density lipoproteins (bad) which causing build-up of plaque  Improves coronary collateral circulation- development of additional arteries that can deliver oxygenated blood to heart muscle

CV Diseases Atherosclerosis: fat deposits collect on the artery walls; arteries become narrow and blood flow is reduced Coronary thrombosis: narrowing of one of the coronary arteries by a blood clot causing a section of the heart muscle to die from lack of oxygen

 Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer  Helps movement of waste through the colon  Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure  Reduces blood pressure in people who already have high BP  Force of blood against the artery walls  Sudden changes can cause stroke-an event caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain “brain attack”

 Moderate amount of physical activity  Activities like walking, gardening, household chores, dancing, etc  Health benefits can be achieved by participating in these types of activities regularly

 Written plan of physical activities to develop each of the components of fitness and a schedule for doing them  Include goals  Use FITT formula  Frequency: number of times per week  Intensity: how hard you are working  Time: how long each session  Type: specific activity

 Include a warm-up and cool-down  Include aerobic activities (oxygen is used)-heart rate is increased for 20 minutes or more  Include resistance exercises to develop strength and muscular endurance  Include stretching for flexibility