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Exercise has many benefits, both curative and preventive, for physical and mental health. Any amount of exercise, even if it falls below the suggested amount, is likely to produce benefits.
Exercise benefits both mental and physical health. Indeed, according to the National Institute on Aging, studies show that “relaxing” is risky.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 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 coronary heart disease rates were lower among physically active London bus drivers than among less active bus drivers.
According to a recent study, since that first report, researchers have linked physical inactivity to more than 40 chronic diseases.
This article examines some specific benefits of regular exercise for mental and physical 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 feel the benefits of regular exercise right away, although the CDC recommends that adults perform 150 minutes per week of at least moderate intensity activity.
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 by:
- improve blood sugar control
- reduce cardiovascular risk factors
- help lose weight
- help general well-being
- delay or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes
Exercise can also benefit people with type 1 diabetes by:
- improve cardiovascular fitness
- muscle building
- improved insulin sensitivity
The ADA says, “Physical activity and exercise should be recommended and prescribed for all people with diabetes as part of the management of 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 (endometrium)
- kidney
For example, a 2016 analysis of 26 studies in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer 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 moderate or vigorous exercise.
Longer-term regular exercise can also help reduce the risk of depression.
Regular exercise can help prevent the loss of bone density that occurs with aging, according to the CDC.
Moderate to vigorous muscle-building and aerobic exercise, as well as bone-strengthening programs, can all help.
The real benefits for bone density start with just about 90 minutes of exercise per week.
Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking and dancing, and resistance exercises are especially good for bone health.
Weight-bearing exercises help build strong muscles, which is especially important for adults as they get older.
“Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity delays death from all causes,” according to a 2018 report from the Department of Health and Social Services.
Better yet, the benefits begin to accumulate with modest, moderate to vigorous exercise. The biggest jump occurs when a person goes from “inactive” to “insufficiently active”.
The CDC says there is good evidence that exercise can help maintain weight over time, although it may take more than the recommended amount to do so.
In general, losing weight and then keeping it off also requires a healthy, balanced diet.
It’s easy to overestimate the number of calories burned by exercise.
The CDC gives some examples of calories a person weighing 154 pounds would burn during an hour of activity for:
- hiking: 370 calories
- light gardening: 330 calories
- running or jogging at 5 miles per hour: 590 calories
In 2017, an overview of Cochrane reviews, which systematically review the evidence for particular interventions, looked at whether exercise and physical activity help relieve 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 evidence of improved physical function and a varying effect on both psychological function and quality of life.”
None of the interventions appear to have caused any harm. The review authors noted limited evidence regarding improvement in pain severity.
According to the CDC, physical activity that includes more than one type, such as aerobic exercise, balance training, or muscle building, can help reduce both the risk of falls and the risk of injury. by falls in the elderly.
Exercise helps people sleep and some of the benefits can begin immediately. Regular exercise can help by:
- increase sleep efficiency
- improve sleep quality and deep sleep
- reduce daytime sleepiness
- reduce the need for sleeping pills
Because exercise can improve bone health, it can treat or prevent osteoporosis.
Regular exercise also helps prevent falls and fractures associated with muscle weakness and unbalance, which is especially 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 aspects of cognition, such as speed of processing.
A 2016 study looked at the evidence indicating that physical activity, cognitive activity (such as learning new skills), and a Mediterranean-style diet promote ‘brain health’ in older people.
The results suggest that these behaviors, perhaps in combination, may help keep cognitive manifestations of aging and neurodegenerative diseases at bay.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of many serious illnesses, improve mental health and mood, and extend lifespan. Exercise benefits everyone.
Some benefits stem from very small increases in physical activity in people who are currently inactive.
Even if a person is nowhere near the recommended weekly activity levels, these first small steps are important and worthwhile.
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