Physical exercise facts for kids

South African cricket player Makhaya Ntini doing a flexibility exercise.

Exercise in space: Astronaut Daniel Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, works out at the Unity node of the International Space Station using the short bar of the Interim Resistive Exercise Device (IRED) to perform pull-ups to increase his upper body strength while in a microgravity environment

Jumping fitness exercise

The word exercise means:

• Things to do to get some practical experience and skill in some activity.
• Repeatedly moving the human body to make it stronger or better at doing something. This is called physical exercise.

Basic modes of physical exercises

People do physical exercises as a part of their healthy lifestyle to get stronger and healthier or stay strong and healthy or to improve their body image. There are three basic modes of physical exercises:

• Flexibility exercises help the human body in general or its part in particular to be able to reach farther and bend better.
• Aerobic exercises help the body work hard for a long time.
• Anaerobic exercises, like lifting weights, make the arms and legs stronger.

Exercises can be an important part of physical therapy, weight loss, or sports performance.

Exercise can be fun, but it is important for the exercisor to do what he likes and eat enough calories , so when he exercises he is building up muscles, not just breaking them down for fuel. Drinking right amount of Water is Necessary to lose unnecessary Weight during the Day in the Form of Detoxification . Carbohydrates are muscle-sparing; and if one does not get enough calories overall, there is the risk of burning muscles up with the fat to make up the deficit.

Exercise benefits

Benefits of exercise for all ages have been known since antiquity. Marcus Cicero, around 65 BC, stated: “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.”

Regular exercise has been shown to help high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and depression, among others. Exercise also helps people feel less tired.

Types of physical exercises

• aerobics
• bodybuilding
• running
• squat
• sport
• stretching
• walking
• weight training
• yoga

Images for kids

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  Running in water (aquarunning)

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  Weight training

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  An aerobics exercise instructor in the United States instructs her class

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  Summary of long-term adaptations to regular aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise can cause several central cardiovascular adaptations, including an increase in stroke volume (SV) and maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max), as well as a decrease in resting heart rate (RHR). Long-term adaptations to resistance training, the most common form of anaerobic exercise, include muscular hypertrophy, an increase in the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) of muscle(s), and an increase in neural drive, both of which lead to increased muscular strength. Neural adaptations begin more quickly and plateau prior to the hypertrophic response.

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  Roper's gymnasium, Philadelphia, USA, circa 1831.

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  Running helps in achieving physical fitness.

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  Skateboarding is good for cardiovascular health

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  Swimming as an exercise tones muscles and builds strength.

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  Athletics (ex. pole vault) as a form of exercise

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  Football as an exercise

See also

In Spanish: Ejercicio físico para niños