The difference between exercise and physical activity lies mainly in intent, structure, and purpose:
- Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. This includes all movements during daily life such as walking, gardening, housework, and occupational tasks. It can be unplanned, unstructured, and done for various reasons unrelated to fitness improvement
- Exercise is a specific subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful. Its primary goal is to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness, such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, or body composition. Exercise is typically measured by its intensity, duration, and frequency to track progress toward fitness goals
In summary, all exercise is physical activity, but not all physical activity qualifies as exercise. Physical activity includes any movement that expends energy, while exercise is intentional movement designed to enhance physical fitness
