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DriveExercise fact

Regular physical activity protects the heart, lifts mood, eases anxiety and improves sleep, according to the World Health Organization. These benefits do not depend on losing weight: people of every shape and size gain them, even when nothing changes on the scales or in the mirror.

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The World Health Organization counts any movement that uses energy as physical activity: walking, cycling, sport, active play, housework and physical work. Its 2020 guidelines advise adults to do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running, plus muscle-strengthening exercise on at least two days. In 2022 about 31% of adults worldwide, some 1.8 billion people, fell short of that. Weight is a poor guide to these benefits. The US Physical Activity Guidelines state that they are generally independent of body weight, and a 2014 analysis of ten studies found that fit people who were overweight or obese had death rates similar to fit people of normal weight, while unfit people had about twice the risk, whatever their weight.

Türkçe oku
Dünya Sağlık Örgütü'ne göre düzenli fiziksel aktivite kalbi korur, ruh hâlini iyileştirir, kaygıyı azaltır ve uykuyu düzeltir. Bu faydalar kilo vermeye bağlı değildir: Tartıda ya da aynada hiçbir değişiklik görünmese de her yapıdan ve kilodan insan bu faydaları görür.

Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (DSÖ), enerji harcatan her hareketi fiziksel aktivite sayar: yürüyüş, bisiklet, spor, hareketli oyunlar, ev işleri ve bedensel iş. DSÖ'nün 2020 rehberi yetişkinlere haftada 150–300 dakika tempolu yürüyüş gibi orta şiddette ya da 75–150 dakika koşu gibi yüksek şiddette hareket etmeyi, buna ek olarak haftada en az iki gün kas güçlendirici egzersiz yapmayı önerir. 2022'de dünyadaki yetişkinlerin yaklaşık %31'i, yani 1,8 milyar kişi bu düzeyin altında kalıyordu. Bu faydaları kiloya bakarak ölçmek yanıltıcıdır. ABD'nin Fiziksel Aktivite Rehberi, faydaların genel olarak vücut ağırlığından bağımsız olduğunu belirtir. 2014'te on araştırmanın sonuçlarını birleştiren bir analize göre kondisyonu iyi olan fazla kilolu ya da obez kişilerin ölüm oranı, kondisyonu iyi olan normal kilolu kişilerinkine yakındı; kondisyonu zayıf olanlarda ise risk, kiloları ne olursa olsun yaklaşık iki katıydı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Physical activity
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