10 Health Benefits of Regular Exercise

Adults should aim to get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, plus two strength-training sessions, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. You can divide that into at least five days of 30-minute workouts, or fewer longer sessions, as outlined in the chart below. If you prefer vigorous- intensity aerobic exercise, like HIIT or running, aim for 75 to 150 minutes a week.

A well-balanced workout routine includes aerobic exercise and resistance training, as well as mobility and recovery days, explains Leada Malek, a certified sports and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and board-certified physical therapist.

10 Big Exercise Benefits

But the benefits of exercise extend beyond stronger muscles and more stamina. You may also improve your mood and energy levels and help your heart health. Here are a few reasons you should make an effort to move more throughout the week.

1. It May Help You Live Longer

The best part: You aren't required to do any specific type of exercise. Walking at a cadence of 100 steps or more per minute is tied to benefits, per a small May 2018 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

2. Exercise Can Improve Your Cognitive Function

Working out can support focus and attention, as well as increase your motor reaction time all reasons Wendy Suzuki, PhD, professor of neural science and psychology at New York University, personally likes to break a sweat in the morning.

"Exercise has the capacity to change the brain's anatomy, physiology and function for the better," after just one workout, even a walk, Suzuki says.

Doing some form of exercise, especially an aerobic workout, improves blood flow and delivers oxygen directly to the brain tissue, says Jocelyn Bear, PhD, a board-certified neurologist based in Boulder, Colorado.

"The hippocampus is one of the most vulnerable [of the major brain structures] to neurodegenerative disease states," Suzuki says, noting that Alzheimer's disease attacks it with its plaques and tangles.

"Exercise does not cure Alzheimer's or aging, but the more you work out, the more cells and connections are made and the longer it takes for those aging processes to have an effect," she explains.

According to Bear, "having a high cardiovascular fitness, even in middle age, has been tied to a lower risk of developing dementia or a later onset of dementia."

3. It Can Lift Your Spirits

Exercise can also help your mood by decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression. That's because "every single time you exercise, it's like you are giving your brain a bubble bath of mood-enhancing neurochemicals," Suzuki says.

When you move, your body releases endorphins, aka feel-good chemicals, and serotonin, which contributes to less depression, stress and anxiety and enhanced emotional wellness, says Julia Kogan, PsyD, a certified group fitness instructor and coordinator of an integrative primary care behavioral health program at Jess Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.

"Additionally, when we are exercising, we are less focused on negative and troublesome thoughts that can be related to both anxiety and depression," Kogan says. "Exercise can also improve self-esteem and cognitive function and reduce social withdrawal, which can also improve mood."

What's more, "exercise is as effective as medication for mild to moderate depression," says Gail Saltz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine and host of the Personology podcast.

Interestingly, exercising 30 to 60 minutes a day was associated with the best results, with an average of 2.1 fewer poor mental health days. Exercising more than three hours a day, on the other hand, was associated with worse mental health than not exercising at all. Team sports, cycling and aerobic and gym activities had the strongest association to positive mental health outcomes.

But how much exercise and how effective it is for treating mild-to-moderate depression varies from person to person. Dr. Saltz says exercising for a week or two is helpful for mood, and "for many, they can get relief from anxiety on the day of exercise." For this reason, exercise is helpful as a coping tool for treating mental health conditions and preventing them, Dr. Saltz says.

Don't have 30 minutes to work out daily? Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) and executive board member for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, says as little as 10 to 15 minutes of intentional movement can make a difference.

4. Working Out Protects Your Heart

Your heart is a muscle and a mighty important one at that. As the center of your circulatory system, it pumps blood, which carries oxygen and other nutrients to the entire body.

Cardio workouts running, swimming, cycling, jumping rope or countless other options "help the heart become more efficient and better able to pump blood throughout the body," says Rachel Bond, MD, a women's heart health and prevention specialist, and system director of women's heart health at Dignity Health in Arizona.

"This means [your heart] pushes out more blood with each beat, allowing it to beat slower, relaxing the arteries and keeping blood pressure under control," Dr. Bond says.

These aren't the only heart benefits of exercise: Working out can also help improve your cholesterol and triglyceride profiles, as well as your blood sugar and insulin levels. Plus, exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce overall inflammation, which helps lower your risk of heart disease, Dr. Bond says.

5. It Can Help You Sleep Better

If you have trouble falling and staying asleep at night, getting a workout in during the day can help make it easier to hit the hay.

"Physical activity appears to improve sleep quality by reducing the sleep latency, or time it takes to fall asleep, and the number of interruptions waking an individual during the night. It also increases time spent in deeper stages of sleep, allowing for more restorative sleep," says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology and Sleep Medicine, P.C. and attending physician at Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Sleep disturbance is common among those with anxiety and depression, too, Kogan notes. "When anxiety and depression are reduced, sleep quality tends to improve. So, because exercise can help with mood management, it can also improve sleep quality," she says.

Working out also reduces the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder that pauses breathing throughout the night. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercising at least 30 minutes on most days of the week can help ease symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.

But if you have trouble falling asleep at night, it might be best to avoid exercise close to bedtime.

"Exercise definitely triggers the sympathetic nervous system the part of the nervous system that triggers a flight-or-fight response, which, when activated, can delay sleep onset," Dr. Towfigh says. "There are studies suggesting exercising in the morning may be more beneficial for certain individuals because it can allow your body's sympathetic nervous system to wind down before bedtime."

However, Dr. Towfigh says this finding isn't universal and not everyone is "quite as sensitive to the activating elements of exercise, therefore, it is not a one-size-fits-all recommendation."

The review looked at different exercise intensities and found more moderate- intensity exercise, such as walking, tai chi and Pilates, was linked to improved sleep quality. So before you snooze, try some Pilates-inspired exercises to help you relax.

6. Exercise Builds Stronger Bones

Exercise helps keep your bones strong by increasing bone mineral density levels, says Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT, a board-certified doctor of physical therapy practicing in outpatient orthopedics.

"Bone mineral density refers to the average concentration of mineral in a defined section of bone and correlates with bone strength," she explains. "Most people reach peak bone mass by the age of 30, and levels steadily decline thereafter, especially in sedentary individuals."

The best exercises for strong bones are strength training and dynamic weight- bearing activities, like walking, running, dancing and plyometric exercises, Gasnick says.

That's because "osteocytes [bone-forming cells] comprise more than 95 percent of the cells within adult bones and respond to mechanical strain, either through joint-reaction forces, which occur when muscles are recruited during resistance training or through ground-reaction forces, which occur during dynamic weight- bearing activities," she says. "When subject to mechanical strain, osteocytes send signals to increase the activity of osteoblasts cells responsible for building new, stronger bone."

Gasnick also suggests doing body-weight exercises, such as squats, lunges and step-ups, for older adults and anyone new to an exercise routine. "Any movement that allows the joints to bear the weight of one's body helps to build up bone strength," she says.

Once you've nailed down these movements, you can add weight to increase the intensity and build more muscle strength. "Research has indicated that load- bearing exercises that use many large muscle groups and require multi-joint movements tend to elicit the most beneficial response when it comes to improving bone health," Rothstein says.

"Handheld dumbbells are best to use to add weight to avoid the potential compression of the spine that a barbell can induce, something to be especially mindful of for those with osteoporosis," Gasnick says.

7. It Helps You Move With Ease

Think of exercise like your daily dose of vitamins it supplements your ability to do everyday tasks, such as walking, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, lifting luggage overhead, moving a couch or playing with your kids.

And when the body is strong and conditioned, it "increases your ability to tolerate loads, forces and stressors, and allows the different systems in the body bone, muscle, nervous and endocrine to communicate better with each other and function better overall," Young says.

To help you stay strong, Young recommends building workout routines around functional movements, like the squat, hip hinge and multi-directional lunges.

8. Working Out Can Help You Lose Weight

There are many factors that affect weight loss, but it ultimately comes down to energy balance: "You need to be in a calorie deficit," Young says. "The input side of the equation is the food we eat, and the output side is physical activity."

To be in a calorie deficit, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn from exercise. When you incorporate more movement in your day, then you are increasing your chances of expending more calories than you take in.

Young also notes that physical activity has the greatest influence on overall metabolism. "As we age, we tend to reduce physical activity. It can then negatively impact basal/resting metabolic rate and body mass, which sabotages metabolism."

Exercise can help boost a slow metabolism, which "leads to increased calorie burn and will help drive weight loss," he says. "Exercise can also reduce feelings of hunger, especially if vigorous-intensity exercise is included within the exercise regimen."

Curious exactly how many calories you burn during your workouts? Download the MyPlate app for a more accurate and customized estimate.

9. It's Linked With a Lower Risk of Cancer

Many risk factors for cancer are out of your control, but your activity level is one you can alter. In fact, physical activity is linked to a lower risk of 13 types of cancer, including colon, breast, endometrial and liver cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

10. Exercise May Help Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes

More than 34 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a condition in which your body either resists the effects of insulin the hormone that regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood or doesn't produce enough of it required to maintain normal levels.

What's more, 88 million adults have prediabetes, meaning they have a higher than normal blood sugar level.

Read more on: livestrong