When it comes to exercise, we often assume that more is better. But new research suggests that moderate, consistent exercise may be more beneficial than constantly pushing ourselves to do more.
When we think about exercise, most of us picture someone running through a park, cycling up a hill or working out in a gym. Exercise has become almost synonymous with going to the gym or playing sport.
But perhaps we've been thinking about it too narrowly.
For many people, exercise isn't something they schedule into their day. It's woven into everyday life. Walking to the shops, carrying groceries, gardening, climbing stairs, playing with children and even doing housework all require movement. While these activities may not raise the heart rate in the same way as a workout, they still contribute to our overall health.
Perhaps we've become too focused on what exercise looks like, rather than what it actually does.
The modern conversation around exercise can be surprisingly discouraging. Fitness influencers, wearable technology and social media often reduce activity to steps walked, calories burned, kilometres completed or personal bests achieved.
Those measures have their place, but they don't tell the whole story.
Not everyone is training for a marathon or spending hours in the gym. The danger is that people begin to believe that if they can't meet those expectations, the movement they do somehow doesn't count.
It does.
Research continues to show that regular movement, even in smaller amounts, benefits both our physical and mental health. The greatest gains often come not from occasional bursts of intense activity, but from making movement part of everyday life.
Perhaps the better question isn't, How much exercise did I do today?
Perhaps it's, How much did I move?
That shift in thinking changes everything. It removes the pressure to compare ourselves with others and encourages us to focus on what our own bodies are capable of. It also recognises that movement looks different for everyone and that health isn't built solely in gyms or on running tracks.
For people living with disability, chronic illness or simply the effects of ageing, this is particularly important. Movement may be slower, more deliberate or more physically demanding, but it is no less valuable.
Maybe it's time we stopped asking whether something "counts" as exercise.
If it helps us stay healthier, stronger, more independent or simply feel better, perhaps that's all the definition we need.
Source: World Health Organisation (WHO)
