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Physical activity describes any movement that uses up your body's energy.

There are lots of ways to be physically active including:

• walking
• cycling
• dancing
• playing sports

Taking part in regular physical activity has lots of benefits.

Our muscles make our bones move during physical activity. When a muscle tightens it pulls the bones attached to it into a new position.

When we do more physical activity, our muscles become stronger and they can work harder. Our bones grow stronger too because physical activity puts pressure on them.

Our muscles need oxygen to work during physical activity.

As we are more active, we get fitter. Our lungs get better at taking in oxygen from the air. Our hearts get stronger and better at pumping oxygen to our muscles through our blood.

Have you ever noticed you get breathless when you exercise?

When you are active and your muscles are working hard, your body needs more oxygen so your breathing rate has to increase.

Physical activity is one way we can look after our mental health. When we exercise, our bodies release chemicals which make us feel good. These chemicals are called endorphins.

Regular physical activity is great for your brain as well as your body.

Physical activity makes your body release more of the chemicals which make it easier to focus. Exercise also causes more blood to flow to your brain helping it to work better.

Moderate to vigorous physical activity makes us breathe harder and our heart beat faster. After this type of physical activity, we find it easier to fall asleep at night.

In this article, we learned about the benefits of physical activity on our minds and bodies.

Learn more about the human body and how we can fuel it for activity.