PhysicalActivity

PhysicalActivity is a LifestyleModification subtype (under MedicalEntity) covering every bodily activity that enhances fitness or health — daily living, structured exercise, medically prescribed movement.

Distinct from ExerciseAction (a single event a Person performed) and ExercisePlan (a programme to follow). PhysicalActivity is the clinical entity: the activity class itself, with epidemiology and associated anatomy.

Full example of schema.org/PhysicalActivity json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

Highlight legend:Required by GoogleRecommendedOptional

schema.org/PhysicalActivity

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "PhysicalActivity",
  "name": "Brisk walking (30 minutes daily)",
  "category": "https://schema.org/AerobicActivity",
  "associatedAnatomy": { "@type": "AnatomicalSystem", "name": "Cardiovascular system" },
  "epidemiology": "Adults achieving 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week show 20–30 % reductions in all-cause mortality and ischemic heart disease (WHO, 2020).",
  "pathophysiology": "Sustained moderate activity increases cardiac output, improves endothelial function, raises HDL cholesterol, reduces systemic inflammation, and enhances insulin sensitivity.",
  "relevantSpecialty": "https://schema.org/Cardiovascular",
  "code": {
    "@type": "MedicalCode",
    "codeValue": "Z71.82",
    "codingSystem": "ICD-10-CM"
  }
}
</script>

Direct properties (4)

category: PhysicalActivityCategory enum — AerobicActivity, AnaerobicActivity, Balance, Flexibility, LeisureTimeActivity, OccupationalActivity, StrengthTraining.
associatedAnatomy: AnatomicalStructure / AnatomicalSystem / SuperficialAnatomy — the body region the activity targets.
epidemiology: Text — population-level data (who benefits, how much, from when).
pathophysiology: Text — mechanism by which the activity improves health.

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid PhysicalActivity entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/PhysicalActivity (minimal)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "PhysicalActivity",
  "name": "Brisk walking (30 minutes daily)",
  "category": "https://schema.org/AerobicActivity"
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

No dedicated rich result (medical reference / wellness library markup)
Google docs

Common PhysicalActivity mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

01
PhysicalActivity used where ExerciseAction or ExercisePlan fits
Wrong
```
PhysicalActivity on a user's workout log entry
```
Right
```
ExerciseAction for a performed session; ExercisePlan for a programme; PhysicalActivity for the clinical activity class
```
PhysicalActivity is the medical entity in a reference library. The three types answer different questions — what the activity is, what someone did, what the programme looks like.
02
category as bare text
Wrong
```
"category": "Aerobic"
```
Right
```
"category": "https://schema.org/AerobicActivity"
```
category here maps to PhysicalActivityCategory — an enumeration. Free text collapses the closed-set membership the field is meant to carry.

Confusing epidemiology and pathophysiology

Wrong

Mechanism text in epidemiology, or population stats in pathophysiology

Right

Epidemiology = who/how many/what happens in populations. Pathophysiology = the biological mechanism.

Two different evidence registers — conflating them weakens the reference's clinical value.

Schema properties in this example

PhysicalActivity LifestyleModification MedicalEntity name category PhysicalActivityCategory AerobicActivity associatedAnatomy AnatomicalSystem epidemiology pathophysiology relevantSpecialty Cardiovascular code MedicalCode codeValue codingSystem

Also mentioned in 2 other examples

PhysicalActivity also appears in ExercisePlan, and PhysicalActivityCategory. See the full PhysicalActivity schema page for every reference.

About the example data

"Brisk daily walking" as a clinical prescription entry in the Dunmore Archive — one of the non-pharmacological interventions Jane Xoo built into her 1945 paediatric rehabilitation protocol.

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