1.3 Movement Related Terms

Many people use the following terms interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings:

Movement

Refers to any action or change in the position of the body or its parts that is produced by muscle contractions. Movement allows us to interact with our environment, perform daily tasks, and maintain essential life functions.

Some movements, like walking or reaching for an object, are voluntary, while others, such as your heartbeat or reflexively pulling your hand away from something hot, happen without conscious control.

Physical Activity

Any bodily movement created by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure beyond what occurs at rest. Physical activity is essential for health and maintaining function, and contributes to how many calories you burn throughout the day.

It can be structured or unstructured and includes simple daily actions like walking to work, gardening, shovelling snow, or playing with your children.

Physical Exercise

A specific type of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive, done with the goal of improving or maintaining physical fitness.

Unlike casual physical activity, exercise is always intentional and targets areas like strength, endurance, flexibility, or balance. Examples include jogging regularly, following a strength-training program, attending yoga classes, swimming laps, or practicing sports.

Physical Fitness

Refers to a set of measurable qualities that relate to how well a person can perform physical activity. These attributes reflect the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in daily life while minimizing health risks.

Fitness improves through consistent physical activity and includes cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and maintaining a healthy body composition.

Comparison of Terms