We know it’s beneficial for our health and most of us do it regularly but what is exercise? To answer this, it’s important to know the difference between exercise and physical activity.

Physical activity refers to anything which causes the muscles to move the body. Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity — it’s a structured plan to regularly repeat physical activity.

Exercise is then split into different types: aerobic and anaerobic, with different activities such as walking or swimming falling under these categories.

So, whether you’re increasing your aerobic fitness by running on the best treadmill or doing an anaerobic activity such as Pilates, let’s take a look at what is and what counts as exercise, the different types, why it’s important and how often you should do it.

What is exercise? Exercise vs physical activity

“As we exercise, our heart and breathing rate increases which increases blood flow as the body requires more oxygen and fuel to the working muscles,” says exercise physiologist and scientist Richard Avery.

“The percentage of blood flow distributed to the working muscles is around 20% at rest; this can increase to over 80% during maximal exercise involving large muscle groups, such as running or cycling. If the intensity of exercise is low to moderate these increases will be much lower, and after a few minutes at the same intensity, heart and breathing rate tend to stabilize.”

Aerobic and anaerobic are both types of exercise that differ based on the intensity, interval, and types of muscle fibers incorporated, as stated by the World Journal of Cardiology.