Exercise has many benefits, both curative and preventive, for physical and mental health. Any amount of exercise, even if it is below the suggested amount, is likely to produce benefits.
Exercise benefits both mental and physical health. In fact, the National Institute for Aging says that studies show that “taking it easy” is risky.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claim that “Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health” and everyone can benefit.
In 1953, a pioneering epidemiological study in The Lancet showed that rates of coronary heart disease were lower among physically active bus drivers in London than among less active bus drivers.
According to a recent review, since that initial report, researchers have linked physical inactivity to more than 40 chronic illnesses.
This article looks at some specific benefits of regular exercise for physical and mental health.
Regular exercise is good for heart health. Possible benefits include:
Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease is an important benefit of exercise.
A person can begin to experience the benefits of regular exercise immediately, although the CDC recommends that adults do 150 minutes a week of activities of at least moderate intensity.
The benefits continue to increase as people are more active than that.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), different types of exercise can benefit people with, or at risk for, type 2 diabetes:
- improving blood glucose control
- reducing cardiovascular risk factors
- helping with weight loss
- helping with general well-being
- delay or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes
Exercise can also benefit people with type 1 diabetes:
- improving cardiovascular fitness
- strengthening muscles
- improving insulin sensitivity
The ADA says: “Physical activity and exercise should be recommended and prescribed to all individuals with diabetes as part of controlling glycemic control and overall health.”
The National Cancer Institute says there is “strong evidence that higher levels of physical activity are linked to a lower risk” of the following cancers:
- colon
- stomach
- esophageal
- breast
- bladder
- uterine (endometrial)
- kidney
For example, a 2016 analysis of 26 breast, prostate and colorectal cancer studies found a 37% reduction in cancer-specific mortality when comparing the most active patients with the least active.
There may also be a link between physical activity and reduced risk of other cancers, but the evidence is less clear.
Physical activity can help reduce anxiety, and this benefit can begin right after a session of moderate or vigorous exercise.
In the long run, regular exercise can also help to reduce the risk of depression.
Regular exercise can help prevent the loss of bone density that occurs with aging, says the CDC.
Moderate or vigorous muscle strengthening and aerobic exercise, as well as bone strengthening programs, can help.
The real benefits to bone density start with just about 90 minutes of exercise a week.
Weight lifting exercises, such as walking and dancing, and resistance exercises are particularly good for bone health.
Weightlifting exercises help build strong muscles, which is particularly important for adults as they get older.
“Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity slows death from all causes,” according to a 2018 report by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Better yet, the benefits begin to accumulate with modest amounts of moderate to vigorous exercise. The biggest leap occurs when a person stops being “inactive” and becomes “insufficiently active”.
The CDC says there is good evidence that exercise can help maintain weight over time, although it may take longer than the recommended amount to do so.
In general, losing weight and maintaining it also requires a healthy and balanced diet.
It is easy to overestimate the number of calories that exercise burns.
The CDC gives some examples of calories that a person weighing 154 pounds would burn during an hour of activity to:
- walk: 370 calories
- light gardening: 330 calories
- run or run at 5 miles per hour: 590 calories
In 2017, an overview of Cochrane Assessments, which systematically analyze evidence for specific interventions, examined whether exercise and physical activity help with chronic pain in adults.
The study concluded that a definitive answer would require more research.
The authors note that, although the quality of the evidence was generally low, “there is some evidence of improvement in physical function and a variable effect on psychological function and quality of life”.
None of the interventions appeared to cause any harm. The overview authors observed limited evidence regarding improvement in pain intensity.
According to the CDC, physical activity that includes more than one type, such as aerobic exercise, balance training or muscle strengthening, can help decrease the risk of falls and the risk of injury from falls in the elderly.
Exercises help people to sleep, and some of the benefits can begin immediately. Regular exercise can help by:
- increasing sleep efficiency
- improving sleep quality and deep sleep
- reducing daytime sleepiness
- reducing the need for sleeping medication
Because exercise can improve bone health, it can treat or prevent osteoporosis.
Regular exercise also helps to prevent falls and fractures related to muscle weakness and lack of balance, which is particularly important for people with osteoporosis.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
In people over 50, exercise also improves certain aspects of cognition, such as processing speed.
A 2016 study reviewed the evidence indicating that physical activity, cognitive activity (like learning new skills) and eating a Mediterranean-style diet promote “brain health” in older adults.
The results suggested that these behaviors, perhaps in combination, may help to keep the cognitive manifestations of aging and neurodegenerative diseases under control.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of many serious illnesses, improve mental health and mood and extend life. Exercise benefits everyone.
Some benefits arise from very small increases in physical activity for people who are currently inactive.
Even if the person is far from reaching the recommended weekly activity levels, these first small steps are important and worthwhile.