Forms of Physical Activity
How Do I Know If I Am Doing Moderate or Vigorous Activity?
- The choices for physical activities are unlimited and there are options for everyone. Some physical activities are more vigorous than other activities and you need to determine which are correct for you in order to meet the recommendations listed in the previous section.
- Examples of intensity, moderate and vigorous, are described below.
Moderate Activity
This type of activity is not too difficult to perform but requires you to breathe faster than when standing still. This type of activity feels similar to walking quickly if you are late to an appointment.
You can perform brisk walking on the Linear Trail found in the parks and trails section of the website.
Vigorous Activity
This type of activity increases your heart rate more that moderate activity. Vigorous activity requires you to breathe harder and you should find it difficult to complete a sentence without pausing to take a deep breath. Examples include jogging/running and CrossFit. (CrossFit is a form of physical activity that provides a continuously changing variety of vigorous exercise provided by certified CrossFit instructors. More information can be found at: http://www.crossfit.com/.)
If you would like to explore options for participating in a running event, refer to the "local and out of town" events website. If you would like to locate a local crossfit gym, click on the "locations area" website
Muscle Strengthening
This type of activity provides resistance against the muscle, creating greater work than normal. Examples of muscle strengthening include gardening, weight lifting, push-ups, resistance bands, etc.
Muscle strengthening and methods to perform strength training activities in your home are found at the Home workout guide, or at your local gym.
Bone Strengthening
These activities are specifically recommended for children (under 17 years old) and are activities that create impact with the ground such as running or jumping rope. The purpose of these activities is to strengthen the developing bones.
You can purchase a jump rope at many retails stores in Manhattan, including Walmart and Target, or other places selling exercise equipment. Please refer to store locations on where to obtain exercise equipment in Manhattan.