Workout Results: 12 Ways Exercise Benefits Your Body

There’s a reason exercise makes you sweat: It isn’t easy. Your body works hard when you run, cycle, lift weights or take on any other physical activity that challenges your strength and determination.

All that effort can sometimes make you wonder WHY you put yourself through it, right? If you’ve ever had those doubts and need motivation, here are 12 reasons to hit that next workout (and the ones after that, too).

The benefits of exercising

It’s no secret that regular exercise is good for you, but odds are, you don’t realize just how much it does for your physical and mental health, says sports medicine physician Matthew Kampert, DO.

Working out can help you build muscle and manage your weight of course. It can strengthen your heart and protect against various diseases. And it can make you a happier, healthier and more vibrant person.

“If we could bottle up exercise, it’d be the best-selling pill in the world,” says Dr. Kampert.

So, let’s take a closer look at all that exercise can do for you.

1. A longer life

Staying alive is the ultimate goal of life — and exercise can help you do it.

Some of that can be attributed to improved VO2 max, a measure of the maximal rate at which the body can consume oxygen to help fuel exercise. It reflects the ability of your heart, lungs and muscles to work together efficiently. (Think of it like a fine-tuned engine.)

Regular exercise can improve your VO2 max. Why is that important? It’s simple, really: A good VO2 max is linked to living a longer, healthier life and can limit the natural decline that comes with aging.

“A higher VO2 max shows that your body is functioning well and can handle physical stress,” says Dr. Kampert. “It can boost your health now and in the future, putting you less at risk of developing chronic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes.”

Research shows that adults who meet minimum guidelines for physical activity reduce their chance of early death by 21%. (If you’re wondering what that “minimum” is, health officials recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.)

The benefits grow if you work out more, too. The same study found that people who exercised two to four times the recommended amount (or 300 to 600 minutes a week) lowered their risk of premature death by 31%.

2. Weight management

Maintaining a healthy weight requires a balance between the calories you consume from eating and drinking and the calories your body burns doing its day-to-day activities, explains Dr. Kampert.

Calories that don’t get burned get stored in your body as fat for your future energy needs. Store too much of this reserve energy and you’ll see the effects on your scale.

Exercise is a sure-fire way to torch those calories to help manage your weight. (It should also be emphasized that weight management works best when exercise is paired with a healthy diet.)

3. Muscle maintenance

Muscle loss is a natural part of aging. It typically begins in your 30s and accelerates as candles accumulate and turn your birthday cake into a bonfire. You may lose up to 8% of your muscle mass every decade.

Even more concerning, muscle strength has been shown to decrease three times faster than muscle mass. Research shows an average annual strength loss of 2.6% in women and 3.6% in men.

Increasingly sedentary behavior that often comes with aging can fuel this decline, according to studies.

The good news? There’s a way to fight back against this natural trend. Staying physically active and doing strength training through the years can slow muscle regression and help you keep your strength, shares Dr. Kampert.

4. Stronger bones

Osteoporosis (or weakening of the bones) is viewed by many as a global health epidemic. The condition affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, making them more likely to break bones.

Consistent exercise, and strength training in particular, can help you build and maintain bone density to guard against osteoporosis as you age. Weight-bearing activities like walking, yoga and Pilates can also be a boon for your bones.

5. Reduced risk of disease or illness

A healthy body strengthened through exercise is better able to fight disease and illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A regular exercise routine can lower your risk of:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Several types of cancer, including breast cancer and colon cancer

Physical activity can also make you less likely to get seriously ill from infectious diseases, like:

• Influenza (flu)
• COVID-19
• Pneumonia

6. Increased energy

If you’re feeling tired, the best way to get energized may be to move around.

Physical activity increases your heart rate to boost circulation, which jump-starts cellular activity in your body, says Dr. Kampert. Exercise also releases hormones that can put extra pep in your step.

Research consistently shows that regular exercise can be effective in reducing fatigue.

7. Long-term brain function

An active body can lead to a healthier brain by supporting cell growth and increasing the movement of neurotransmitters (or chemical messengers) that keep your upstairs operation clicking.

Research shows that regular exercise can reduce your risk of dementia or other conditions affecting brain function.

8. Improved mood

Ever hear of an “exercise high”? Well, it’s a saying that’s rooted in basic biology. A good workout, you see, can bring a rush of endorphins — “feel-good” chemicals in your brain that bring good vibes.

In addition, physical activity can tamp down levels of cortisol (aka, the stress hormone) to make you feel more relaxed.

Researchers say that fitness activities such as walking, yoga and strength training can be used to help treat depression. Studies have also shown that exercise may help reduce symptoms of anxiety.

9. Better sleep

Following a consistent exercise routine can help you fall asleep faster and sleep longer and better, according to studies. It does this by:

• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Keeping your internal clock (circadian rhythm) on time
• Regulating your body temperature

Exercise timing matters, though. Breaking a sweat too close to bedtime may give you a jolt that leaves you too energized to snooze, cautions Dr. Kampert. Try switching to morning workouts if you notice issues.

Additionally, high-intensity workouts that stress your body can also negatively affect sleep. Ditto for not taking rest days for recovery.

10. Heightened sex

Sex is a physical endeavor, so building endurance, growing stronger and increasing flexibility through exercise definitely brings a certain benefit to the activity.

But working out can bring other pluses to your sex life, too. Studies show that aerobic exercise that improves blood flow can give men a boost in erectile function. For women, there’s evidence that exercise may increase sexual desire.

11. Pain relief

Remember endorphins, those happy hormones mentioned above? Those feel-good chemicals can also act as a natural painkiller to help soothe chronic conditions, like:

• Low back pain
• Neck pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Rheumatoid arthritis

12. Rejuvenated skin

Given how exercise boosts skin health, it would be easy to think sweat has magical powers. (Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t.)

But physical activity does improve blood flow, which helps skin cells regenerate to fight back against aging and give you a more youthful appearance. Exercise also works to hydrate and moisturize your skin.

Final thoughts

That’s an impressive list of benefits, right? And just think: You can gain all of those perks with just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week to reach that 150-minute target.

So, pick an activity you enjoy and get to it! Maybe that means hiking in a nearby park or swimming laps in a pool. Perhaps you want to try something different, like tai chi or “rebounding” on a trampoline.

“When it comes to exercise, what you do isn’t as important as how often you do it,” encourages Dr. Kampert. “You’ll see and feel the results if you consistently put in the effort.”