Why is exercise important for the body?

URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

Table of Contents Show

Path to improved health
Can anyone exercise?
How much exercise do I need?
How hard do I have to exercise to gain health benefits?
Track your progress
Find an exercise partner
Things to consider
When to see a doctor
Questions to ask your doctor
Benefits of regular physical activity
A healthier state of mind
Aim for at least 30 minutes a day
Physical activity guidelines
Ways to increase physical activity
See your doctor first
Where to get help

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Why exercise? Exercise is powerful medicine. Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Exercise prevents health problems, builds strength, boosts energy, and can help you reduce stress. It can also help you maintain a healthy body weight and curb your appetite.

Path to improved health

Adding exercise to your routine can positively affect your life.

Exercise can:

Reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, and obesity
Reduce your risk of breast, colorectal, and uterine cancer
Keep joints, tendons, and ligaments flexible, which makes it easier to move around and decreases your chance of falling
Reduce some of the effects of aging, especially the discomfort of osteoarthritis
Contribute to mental well-being and help treat depression
Help relieve stress and anxiety
Increase energy and endurance
Improve sleep
Help maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories)

Can anyone exercise?

Everyone can benefit from physical activity. For most people, it is possible to begin exercising on your own at a slow pace. If you have never exercised before, start with a 10-minute period of light exercise. A brisk walk every day is a good first exercise. Slowly increase how hard you exercise and for how long.

Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. This is especially important if your doctor is already monitoring you for a health problem, such as heart disease or osteoarthritis. You should try to exercise even if you have a physical disability that limits movement. Your doctor can help you find other exercises to improve your overall health.

How much exercise do I need?

A good goal is to exercise 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. However, most people need to start gradually. Start by exercising 2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time. Once you feel comfortable, slowly increase the amount of time and the number of days a week that you exercise.

How hard do I have to exercise to gain health benefits?

Even small amounts of exercise are better than none at all. Start with an activity you enjoy and can do comfortably. Learn to take your pulse and calculate your target heart rate (about 80% of your “maximum heart rate”). As you become used to exercising, try to exercise within your target heart rate zone so that you get the most benefit. However, discuss with your doctor before beginning. Exercising at 80% of your target heart rate may not be appropriate for everyone. This is especially true if you have certain health conditions or are taking some medications.

To take your pulse, gently rest 2 fingers on the side of your neck, about halfway between your ear and your chin. Count the beats for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by 6 to get the number of beats per minute. For example, if you are sitting still and count 12 beats over 10 seconds, multiply 12 x 6 to get 72 beats per minute.

To figure out your target heart rate, subtract your age (in years) from 220. This is your maximum heart rate. To calculate your target heart rate, multiply that number by 0.80.

For example, if you are 40 years of age, subtract 40 from 220, which gives you a maximum heart rate of 180 (220 – 40 = 180). Then multiply this number by 0.80, which gives 144 (180 x 0.80 =144). Your target heart rate would be 144 beats per minute.

Track your progress

Keep a record of your workouts to track your progress. Write down how long you exercised and what you did. Free websites are available to track your progress, as well as apps for smartphones (one app: MyFitnessPal).

Find an exercise partner

Working out with a friend is more fun than working out alone. An exercise buddy can keep you motivated when you don’t feel like exercising. You will be much less likely to cancel exercise if you know someone is counting on you to be there. And when you reach your exercise goals, you’ll have someone to celebrate with.

Things to consider

To avoid injuring yourself during exercise, don’t try to do too much too soon. Start with an activity that is fairly easy for you, such as walking. Do it for a few minutes a day, several times a day. Slowly increase the amount of time and the intensity of the activity. For example, increase your walking time and speed over several weeks.

Trying to push yourself too hard in the beginning could cause muscle strain or sprain. When this happens, you’ll have to wait for the injury to heal before continuing your exercise program. This can really sidetrack your health goals.

When to see a doctor

Pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of breath, dizzy, faint, nauseous, or if you feel pain. Talk with your family doctor if you have questions or think you have injured yourself seriously.

Questions to ask your doctor

Am I healthy enough to begin an exercise program?
Are there any exercises I should avoid?
Do I have any health condition that would affect my ability to exercise?
Am I taking any medication that would interfere with exercise?

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Guide to Physical Activity

Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
See everyday activities as a good opportunity to be active.
Try to find the time for some regular, vigorous exercise for extra health and fitness benefits.
Minimise the amount of time spent in prolonged sitting and break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.

Physical activity or exercise can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity and exercise can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Most importantly, regular activity can improve your quality of life.

A minimum of 30 minutes a day can allow you to enjoy these benefits.

Benefits of regular physical activity

If you are regularly physically active, you may:

A healthier state of mind

A number of studies have found that exercise helps depression. There are many views as to how exercise helps people with depression:

Exercise may block negative thoughts or distract you from daily worries.
Exercising with others provides an opportunity for increased social contact.
Increased fitness may lift your mood and improve your sleep patterns.
Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in your brain, such as serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones.

Aim for at least 30 minutes a day

To maintain health and reduce your risk of health problems, health professionals and researchers recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days.

Physical activity guidelines

Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines state that:

Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you currently do no physical activity, start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended amount.
Be active on most, preferably all, days every week.
Accumulate 150 to 300 minutes (2 ½ to 5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes (1 ¼ to 2 ½ hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.
Do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week.

Ways to increase physical activity

Increases in daily activity can come from small changes made throughout your day, such as walking or cycling instead of using the car, getting off a tram, train or bus a stop earlier and walking the rest of the way, or walking the children to school.

See your doctor first

It is a good idea to see your doctor before starting your physical activity program if:

you are aged over 45 years
physical activity causes pain in your chest
you often faint or have spells of severe dizziness
moderate physical activity makes you very breathless
you are at a higher risk of heart disease
you think you might have heart disease or you have heart problems
you are pregnant.

Pre-exercise screening is used to identify people with medical conditions that may put them at a higher risk of experiencing a health problem during physical activity. It is a filter or ‘safety net’ to help decide if the potential benefits of exercise outweigh the risks for you.

Print a copy of the adult pre-exercise screening tool (PDF) and discuss it with your doctor, allied health or exercise professional.

Where to get help

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