Physical Activity Physical Activity Exercise is important for longevity and preventing heart disease, but you don't have to sweat like a triathlete or an aerobics instructor to do your heart some good. Brief, frequent segments of moderate activity can significantly reduce your risk of coronary artery disease, say experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. There's a difference between physical fitness and physical activity. Physical activity is determined by questionnaires - how much you say you do.
Physical fitness refers to the measurement of medical oxygen uptake on a treadmill.
You can be very physically active but not attain a high level of physical fitness because of your genetic background. A recent study from Copenhagen found that physically inactive men got coronary heart disease even if they were physically fit. Physically active men did not get coronary artery disease even if they were not physically fit. They got all the health benefit just by being physically active. That's why Centers for Disease Control guidelines have been revised to concede that doing a series of exercises for 8 to 10 minutes each, that add up to 30 to 40 minutes, has the same health benefit as exercising for 30 continuous minutes.