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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology pp 1–10Cite as

Physical Activity and Aging

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

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Synonyms

Exercise, wellbeing, health, successful ageing, healthy ageing, active ageing

Definitions: Physical Activity, Exercise, Inactivity, and Sedentary

Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by the skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity can occur in a range of contexts such as work (e.g., carrying and lifting), households (e.g., gardening, cleaning), travel (e.g., walking or bicycling to get to and from places), and leisure (e.g., sport, recreational walking). Exercise is a specific type of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive, with the aim to improve or maintain one or more components of fitness, such as balance, strength, or endurance.

The words “inactive” and “sedentary” are sometimes used interchangeably to describe a lack of physical activity or exercise. Contemporary practice is, however, that “inactive” implies a lack of physical activity or exercise and “sedentary” describes behaviors of low energy expenditure...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Nicola W. Burton

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  1. Nicola W. Burton
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Correspondence to Nicola W. Burton .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Burton, N.W. (2016). Physical Activity and Aging. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_348-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_348-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-080-3

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