Physical activity, exercise, sports

We encounter these terms quite frequently when talking about health and maintaining fitness. But what is the difference between them?

All three of them share that more physical effort is put into movements than on an average basis when, for example, you’re walking from the living room to the kitchen. The released impact during what we call physical activities, though, are not planned and range from various activity types such as dancing to hiking or cleaning the house.

Exercise on the other hand is planned, structured and repetitive. Examples are jogging, pilates and cycling. What differentiates sports from the previous is that these have sets of rules in addition and combine them with the goal to improve certain athletic skills. Sports are often performed in a competitive environment too, however, this is not a requirement. Some examples are volleyball, fencing and archery.

It’s important to remember that these are not stiff categorizations. One type of activity can be assigned to all three. What essentially separates the types is the intention and how the movements are structured. Regardless of whether you’re following a certain training plan or simply move without any specific goal, all of them are beneficial and crucial for maintaining a healthy body.

- Ipek

Reference: A Guide for Families: All About Hemophilia. Volume 12. Canadian Hemophilia Society, 2001: p. 1.

#v4volunteering