The terms movement, physical activity, and exercise are all related but have key differences that can be helpful to understand.
There are no clear boundaries between these terms, and a lot of the differences are semantic or contextual. Generally speaking, movement is the broadest umbrella category, physical activity is a form of movement, and exercise is a structured form of physical activity (see fig 1).
Every single one of us living organisms perform movement, although plants are not mobile, in that they do not move from one place to the other. They grow and move in response to the environment, typically through sensors that detect light and temperature. Those with a central nervous system, such as humans, likely developed our brains in order to become mobile. Movement allows us to seek novel environments, escape predators, seek food and shelter, procreate, and more.
As humans, our highly developed brains have bestowed on us a keen sense of self-awareness, which allows us not only to move but also to be aware of our movements, and consciously change our movement based on the situation and environment, as well as our goals and intentions. With this comes the ability to be aware of the quantity and quality of the physical activities in our lives, and to intentionally participate in exercise.
Figure 1
Exercise is a form of physical activity, but all physical activity is not necessarily exercise, unless you want it to be!
This difference is blurry, and involves self-awareness and mindset. Physical activity is defined as any movement of the body that requires energy expenditure, typically beyond the energy expenditure that would happen at rest. Even when we are lying down, sitting and relaxing, there is movement happening based on our position changes, baseline neuromuscular activity, and breathing. Once the energy expenditure increases beyond baseline, it can be considered physical activity. This could be as simple as standing up and walking around, and could also include household chores, using the stairs, or hobbies such as gardening, painting, and playing an instrument. Exercise on the other hand is generally considered to be a physical activity that is planned, structured, and is carried out for a specific purpose, such as for the physical and/or mental health benefits (improved aerobic capacity, muscle strength, balance, bone density, mood boost, weight loss, and more).
In our current state of affairs, intentional exercise has become extremely necessary to counteract the conveniences of modern life in which we are living less variable and more sedentary lifestyles. We are spending more time inside interacting in a two-dimensional world (screens), driving everywhere instead of walking, working sedentary desk jobs, and eating hyper-palatable processed foods that are delivered to us on a silver platter. Compare this to the lives of our ancestors who lived within the context of a natural environment, hunted and gathered their own foods, walked to all destinations, and performed physically demanding daily tasks that were not buffered by the technological advancements of our times. We have to intentionally exercise to maintain and improve our health and fitness. Because of this, for many, exercise has become a chore, a checklist item that we should be doing.
Achieving Optimal Health and a more Joyful Life
How can we change our mindset to seamlessly bring about greater health benefits from what we are already doing?
One way is to recognize the physical activity that you are already getting in your life, and get excited about the health benefits that it can bring about! Taking the stairs? What a great opportunity to tune into your body mechanics and develop strong legs to support your joints. Gardening? Think of all the strength and mobility you can develop from all of that squatting, bending and lifting. Doing chores? An excellent way to sneak in some low intensity aerobic activity. Better yet, play some fun music while you do the chores to help feel some rhythm in your body.
But why would changing mindset make any difference?
Considering these daily tasks to be exercise might help to promote a greater attentiveness to your body during these activities, and can also promote confidence in your ability to be an active person. Benefits can also occur via the placebo effect, meaning that simply by believing that what we are doing is helpful, it will become more helpful!
Consider Langer’s (2007) study, in which a group of 84 hotel maids were assessed on physiological variables that can be affected by exercise. Most of the maids did not intentionally exercise outside of their jobs, and believed that they did not get nearly enough exercise based on the recommendations for health benefits. The researchers split the maids into two groups, an experimental and a control. The experimental group was educated on how their jobs were extremely physically active, and they were actually getting more than the daily recommended amount of exercise for an active lifestyle, whereas the control group was not given this information. After four weeks, the physiological measures were reassessed, and while the actual behavior did not change, the experimental group experienced statistically significant improvements in blood pressure, weight, body fat, waist-hip ratio and more. Simply by believing that what they were doing was helping their health, their physiology actually changed.
In addition to recognizing that what we are already doing can be beneficial, consider questioning your relationship with exercise further. If exercise is a chore that you have to make yourself do, it is crucial to flip the switch. You might even forget the word exercise if it brings about a negative reaction within you. Find a physical activity that you truly enjoy, regardless of whether you feel like you should or should not be doing it. Remember that movement is what makes us alive, and choosing to move is what makes us human. Move just for the sake of moving, which is the best gift you can give to your entire self.
At the Wellness Station, you might have noticed that your practitioner probably does not tell you to exercise more, as that language could perpetuate the you should be doing this narrative. Rather, we encourage clientele to develop a positive relationship with movement through intentional practices as well as a lifestyle that is biased towards being more physically active.
Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team
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