What Is Multicomponent Physical Activity and What Benefits Does It Offer?

Staying physically active is essential to your health. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should spend 75 to 150 minutes per week performing physical activities. Doing so will strengthen your muscles and bones while simultaneously lowering your risk of a wide variety of diseases. 

There are different forms of physical activity, however, one of which is multicomponent. What is multicomponent physical activity exactly, and what benefits does it offer?

Overview of Multicomponent Physical Activity

Multicomponent physical activity refers to any exercise regimen that includes multiple forms of physical activity. As the name suggests, it consist of "multiple components." Each form of physical activity is a component. Multicomponent physical activity may include jogging, running, swilling, cycling, weightlifting, pushups and more.

There's no universal definition for multicomponent physical activity. Rather, it can include any variety of exercises. Regardless, the key thing to remember is that multicomponent physical activity consists of multiple types of exercises.

Benefits of Multicomponent Physical Activity

Now that you know the definition of multicomponent physical activity, you might be wondering what benefits it offers. For starters, it can lower your risk of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In any given year, over 600,000 Americans die from heart disease. To lower your risk of heart disease, look no further than multicomponent physical activity.

Most multicomponent physical activity regimens include one or more aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises are cardio exercises that stimulate the heart muscle and increase blood flow. By including at least one aerobic exercise in your multicomponent physical activity regimen, you'll be less likely to develop heart disease.

You'll benefit from stronger muscles and stronger bones with a multicomponent physical activity regimen. Multicomponent physical activity typically includes aerobic exercised and resistance exercises. Resistance exercises are those that expose your body to resistance. Weightlifting, for instance, is a type of resistance exercise. When you lift weights, your body will respond by building new muscle and bone tissue.

In Conclusion

You should focus on any single type of physical activity. Rather, you should consider a multicomponent physical activity regimen. Multicomponent physical activity allows you to take advantage of multiple types of physical activities. You can include both aerobic and resistance exercises in your regimen. The end result is a lower risk of heart disease as well as stronger muscles and bones.