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Exercise

Physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle; adults need two and a half hours per week of moderate physical activity. That's 90 minutes of walking, jogging, swimming, etc. every week to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of regular exercise include controlling your blood pressure, lowering your weight, and prevention of heart disease and diabetes. Being regularly active can also be beneficial for sleep regulation, improve bone and muscle strength, and emotional wellness. On our campus at Mississippi State we have the Joe Frank Sanderson Recreational Facility available to faculty and students. The center facility has a 10,000 square foot weight lifting facility, 500,000 gallon swimming pool, and regularly offered aerobic classes.

Exercise Links:

U.S. Health and Human Services - Physical Activity Guide for Amerians

U.S. Health and Human Services - Health Finder

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

American College of Sports Medicine

Adult Fitness Test

Exercise Podcast

MSU Exercise

Physical Activity Guidelines

BMI For Adults.
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EIM e-Newsletter

Aerobic Exercise: activities in which a person maintains an elevated heart rate for an extended period of time due to exercise. Aerobic activities can be considered light, moderate, or vigorous depending on the amount of heart rate elevation. Examples of aerobic activities include walking (light), swimming (moderate), and high impact aerobics (vigorous). It is important to understand your fitness level when planning exercise, if just beginning start with light and work your way up to moderate aerobic activities. In individuals that have an increased level of physical fitness, start with moderate aerobic activity and work towards vigorous activity. Remember the most important aspect of exercise is to exercise in some way every day, do not over exert yourself. Overexertion can lead to overuse injuries and burnout, this occurs when the body is not given enough rest making it more difficult for the body to perform physical activities.

Anaerobic Exercise: activities in which a person elevates their heart rate for a short duration, and then rests before elevating their heart rate. Anaerobic activities are great ways to increase muscular strength and muscular endurance. Muscular strengthening and muscular endurance exercises are a great way to improve muscular health, but also improve the health of tendons, ligaments, and bone structure. Examples of anaerobic exercises include weight lifting, sprinting, and plyometrics. These are activities that can be performed to strengthen multiple aspects of the body, yet differ from aerobic activities in that they cannot be performed for long periods without rest. It is important to remember when performing anaerobic exercises to give yourself rest between sets so the body has time to recover and ready itself for the next set. Remember anaerobic activities do not have to be strenuous; anyone can perform them at their own intensity and pace. Always match the intensity of the workout with your fitness level.