exercise /ek″sərsiz/ [L, exercere, to exercise] , 1. n., the performance of any physical activity for the purpose of conditioning the body, improving health, or maintaining fitness or as a means of therapy for correcting a deformity or restoring the organs and body functions to a state of health. 2. n., any action, skill, or maneuver that causes muscle exertion and is performed repeatedly to develop or strengthen the body or any of its parts. 3. v., to use a muscle or part of the body in a repetitive way to maintain or develop its strength. Exercise has a beneficial effect on each of the body systems, although in excess it can lead to the breakdown of tissue and cause injury. Kinds include active assisted exercise, active exercise, active resistance exercise, aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, isometric exercise, isotonic exercise, muscle-setting exercise, passive exercise, progressive resistance exercise, range-of-motion exercise, therapeutic exercise, underwater exercise.
