- What is an activity?
- Economic activities
- Recreational activities
- Cultural activities
- Aerobic and anaerobic activities
We explain what an activity is and specifically what economic, recreational, cultural, aerobic and anaerobic activities are.
What is an activity?
In principle, activity is the condition in which active people and things are found. That is, that which is empowered to act, or that is in the process of doing something, is carrying out an activity, that is, it is active. It is in direct opposition to that which is idle, in a state of passivity.
Etymologically, the word activity comes from the Latin activites, derived from activus (“Active”), a term that is made up of the voices actum ("Act"), from the verb agere ("Carry out") and the suffix -ivus, which conveys a condition. Thus, activity supposes from its origins the ability to carry out things, to do or act, while passivity supposes the opposite.
Thus, when we use the term activity, we can be referring essentially to two things:
- The state in which an entity is, when it is acting or doing something. For example: “the printer is in full activity, you can't use it yet ”.
- By extension, the work itself that said entity carries out. For example: “Printing so many pages is one activity very expensive for the company ”.
This word is used in countless contexts different, ranging from language everyday until natural Sciences wave psychology. In the latter, for example, activity refers specifically to the set of phenomena of active life, that is, by means of which an individual is directly related to reality: instincts, Will or the habits are examples of activities of living beings.
Thus, there are activities of many different types and in many different fields, some of which we will discuss separately below.
Economic activities
In the field of economy, an activity is any action or production process whose purpose is to generate value. This means that whenever we produce a good or a service intended to satisfy some particular need in exchange for monetary remuneration, we are carrying out a economic activity.
Thus, the more economic activities are carried out in a period of weather in a territory Certainly, the more robust the local economy will be, that is, the more wealth it will generate and the more complex its network of economic exchange relations will be. In general, these economic activities are classified into three large economic sectors, according to their very nature:
- Primary sector or extractive, in charge of obtaining nature the same raw material To start the productive process, often refining that matter or applying certain basic transformation dynamics to it to make it consumable later by others industries. A clear example of the sector is the metallurgical industry, which takes terrestrial minerals and extracts the metal from them.
- Secondary sector or manufacturing, in charge of radically transforming the raw material obtained by the primary sector into articles made for its consumption final (or semi-finished for intermediate consumption). An example of this would be a nail factory, which takes the metal sheets from the steel factory and turns them into these little tools for carpentry.
- Third sector or services, in charge of an immense variety of non-productive services (that is, that do not produce goods) but essential for the perpetuity of the production circuit, or for the transport of goods, or the formation of the workforce, etc. An example of this would be both the transport services that take the nails from the factory to the stores, and the stores themselves that sell them to the consumers.
Recreational activities
Recreational activities are linked to leisure and fun.
Recreational activities are those whose sole purpose is entertainment or recreation. These types of activities are closely linked to leisure and fun, but also to learning during childhood stages of life: play.
Recreational activities cannot be compulsory, but are adapted to the taste of each person, and can consist of a myriad of different proposals, such as:
- The play, be it physical, sports or video games.
- The sports, specifically his contemplation, like someone who watches football on TV.
- Hobbies, such as miniature modeling, hobbyist carpentry, etc.
- Hobbies, such as crossword puzzles, word searches, or recreational reading.
Cultural activities
For their part, cultural activities have to do with the enjoyment of the culture, that is, with the enjoyment or diffusion of the social values, religious, idiosyncratic, artistic or identity of a people.
Culture is a very broad concept, in which they have a place from the beginning. art and the gastronomy to folklore and religion, and practically all human activities have a margin of cultural importance; but some of them are specifically directed to the context of the humanities and the cultivation of the spirit, such as:
- Exhibitions in museums and libraries, or installations in cultural centers.
- Gastronomic fairs and events for the enjoyment of culinary art.
- Exchange events between migrant communities and the local majority.
- The conferences, talks and educational formats regarding historical, artistic or social issues.
- Literary competitions, musical concerts and theater plays.
Aerobic and anaerobic activities
In the latter case, we refer to two different types of physical activity, that is, activities that we can carry out with our bodies. The difference between aerobic and anaerobic activities lies precisely in the mode of exercise they involve: with oxygen consumption and without oxygen consumption, respectively.
Thus, aerobic activities are those that require an abundant use of oxygen, since they put the body's cardiovascular system to work (respiration, heart rate, etc.) and help us to increase our effort capacity in low intensity situations but prolonged period.
These exercises do not build muscle, but they do burn a lot of fat. Examples of these types of activities are: long runs, jogging, aerobics, swimming, or dancing.
On the other hand, anaerobic activities do not want a continuous oxygen consumption, but rather make use of our resistance capacity, during brief but intense periods of physical effort. The latter cannot be sustained for long, since the body gathers all its reserves to carry out the work, burning calories to generate muscle.
Examples of these types of activities are weightlifting, sit-ups, artistic gymnastics, or high-speed races.