I think it is fair to rephrase your question like this; What is the difference between purposeful exercise and movement?
Movement Is Not The Same As Exercise
Many times, when I attempt to encourage a client to exercise, they respond with, “But I do not stop all day long”. Believe me, I get it, but still I would politely respond that exercise is not the same as movement. Movement is what medicine defines as the activities of daily living; our ability to bathe, dress, clean house, run errands, prepare meals and perform tasks throughout our day. Unless, you have been sedentary or in bed for extended periods of time, these activities are considered part of our daily life and do not have cardiovascular benefits. Unfortunately, as we age, despite all of these responsibilities, we can lose muscle mass.
We now have approximately 50 years of exercise science research which supports the value of 30 minutes of purposeful exercise more days than not (defined as at least 5 days per week.) And the benefits extend to many factors in our lives including quality of life and stress management.
Exercise Takes Many Forms
The good news is that exercise can come in many forms. In my clinical practice, I ask clients to download a pedometer app on their smart phone to establish their baseline steps per day. Monitoring your daily steps, allows for goal setting. Ideally, we should all get 10,000 steps per day for general wellness. If you are not technologically savvy, you can measure a distance outside in your yard, down a road or at your local mall or park.
Please try to not just move every day, but also engage in some form of purposeful exercise. It’s actually more important now than ever.
