Physical activity in daily life can be categorized into occupational, sports, conditioning, household, or other activities. Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness. Physical fitness is a set of attributes that are either health- or skill-related. The degree to which people have these attributes can be measured with specific tests.

Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels. Regular aerobic exercise also significantly lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Just make sure you’re leaving 48 hours of rest before you re-work a major muscle. Jesselynn Chuan for disease control and prevention provide lifestyle guidelines for maintaining a balanced diet and engaging in physical activity to reduce the risk of disease. The WCRF/ American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) published a list of recommendations that reflect the evidence they have found through consistency in fitness and dietary factors that directly relate to cancer prevention.

Although diabetes usually isn’t thought of as a heart problem, a lower risk of diabetes also lowers the risk of heart disease, since high blood sugar takes a toll on blood vessels and the nerves that control the heart. When you exercise, you call on your body’s cells to take glucose (sugar) out of the blood, which they do by becoming more sensitive to insulin, the hormone crucial to glucose metabolism. That means your cells remain insulin-sensitive long after you’re finished exercising. And since obesity is a significant risk for diabetes, exercises that help you shed fat—especially around your middle—will help you keep diabetes at bay. For older adults, doing a variety of physical activity improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Include physical activities such as aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance training.

So, however you want to do it—taking regular walks around the block, going for a run, or signing up for a marathon—getting started is the most important part. For instance, people with a high muscle (lean mass) ratio might weigh more than those with the same height and waist circumference who have less muscle. Scientists do not fully understand the exact mechanism of muscle building, but the general principles are well known. Training causes the muscle cells to expand, and there is an increase in actin and myosin production. Each muscle cell contains contractile proteins, called actin and myosin, that give the muscle its strength.