Exercise makes your heart happy.

Physical fitness involves exercises that develop your body and puts it in the best physical condition.

Just being active, like when you run around outside or play is a kind of exercise. What else counts as exercise? Playing sports is dancing, skipping and even reaching down to touch your toes.

When you exercise, you are helping to build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do. Try to be active every day and your body will thank you layer!

It is easy to fit physical activities in your daily routine. Walk, bike or jog to see friends. Take a ten minute activity break every hour while you read, do home work or watch TV. Climb stairs instead of taking an elevator.

Being active is much more fun with friends and family. Encourage others to join you and plan in special physical activity event like bike ride, hiking, swimming with a group each week.

Exercise helps us in many ways.

• Exercise makes your heart happy- you know that your heart works hard, pumping blood, every day of your life. You can help this important muscle get stronger by doing aerobic exercise. Aerobic means is ``with air’’, so for aerobic exercise is a kind of activity that requires oxygen. When you breathe you take in oxygen, and, if you are doing aerobic exercises, you will be breathing faster than normal. Aerobic activity can get your heart pumping, quicken your breathing. When you give your heart this kind of work out on a regular basis, your heart will get even better at its main job- delivering oxygen to all parts of your body.

So try swimming, basket ball, jogging, biking, rowing, skipping, and jumping rope – all aerobic activities.

• Exercise strengthens muscles- do you swing across the monkey bars at the playground? This is an exercise which builds strength. By using your muscle to do powerful things, you can make them stronger. Tug-of-war, rowing, running, bike riding are some muscle building exercises.
• Exercise makes you flexible. Can you touch toes easily/ this kind of exercise feels really good like when you take a big stretch in the morning after waking up.

Being flexible means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling any tightness or pain. Gymnastics, yoga, dancing, martial arts, simple stretches such as touching your toes or side stretches improve flexibility.

• Exercise makes you feel good. It makes your mind healthy and relaxed. You remain active and energetic. You study and concentrate better and perform other tasks with ease.

*Do not forget to have a healthy and a balanced diet!

*An optimum balance will help you grow stronger, feel good and look better.