Top 7 Benefits of Exercise

You probably have a hazy idea that exercise is good for you, and you've probably heard that it's "heart-healthy." But, if you're like most people, that's not enough motivation to get you to work out on a regular basis. According to my TIME cover story, "The Exercise Cure," only 20% of Americans get the recommended 150 minutes of strength and cardiovascular physical activity per week, more than half of all baby boomers report no exercise at all, and 80.2 million Americans over the age of 6 are completely inactive.

That's bad news, but new research indicates that there are numerous compelling reasons to begin moving at any age, even if you're sick or pregnant. Scientists are discovering that exercise is, in fact, medicine. Claude Bouchard, director of the human genomics laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana, states, "There is no drug that comes near to what exercise can do." "And even if there was, it would be prohibitively expensive."

Here are some of the amazing things that can happen to a moving body.

1. Physical activity is beneficial to the brain

It has been linked to decreased depression, improved memory, and faster learning. According to studies, exercise is currently the best way to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, which is a major concern for many Americans.

Scientists aren't sure why exercise alters the structure and function of the brain, but it's a hot topic of study. Thanks to the protein BDNF, they've discovered that exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, feeding the formation of new blood vessels and even new brain cells (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF promotes the creation of new neurons and aids in the repair and protection of brain cells. According to a recent study, it may also help people focus.

2. You may become happier

Numerous studies show that various forms of exercise, ranging from walking to cycling, improve people's moods and can even alleviate symptoms of depression. Exercise causes the brain to release chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, and dopamine, which dull pain, lighten mood, and relieve stress. "For years, we focused almost entirely on the physical benefits of exercise, ignoring the psychological and emotional benefits of being physically active," says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise.

3. It might make you age slower

Exercise has been demonstrated to increase life expectancy by up to five years. According to a modest new study, moderate-intensity exercise may help cells age more slowly. Humans' telomeres—the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes—get shorter as they age and their cells divide repeatedly. Researchers took a muscle biopsy and blood samples from 10 healthy adults before and after a 45-minute ride on a stationary bicycle to determine how exercise impacts telomeres. The exercise raised levels of a chemical that protects telomeres, reducing the rate at which they shorten over time, according to the researchers. As a result, exercise appears to halt the aging process at the cellular level.

4. It’ll make your skin look better

Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients that improve skin health and even aid in wound healing. "That's why, when people have injuries, they should get moving as soon as possible—not only to keep the muscle from atrophying, but also to keep blood flowing to the skin," says Anthony Hackney, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If you train for a long enough period of time, you will also add more blood vessels and tiny capillaries to your skin.

The skin also acts as a heat release point. (For further information, see "Why Does My Face Turn Red When I Exercise?") When you exercise, your muscles produce a lot of heat, which you must release into the environment to keep your body temperature from rising too high, according to Hackney. The heat in the muscle is transferred to the blood, which then transports it to the skin, where it can be expelled into the atmosphere.

5. Amazing things can happen in just a few minutes

According to new research, it doesn't take much movement to reap the benefits. "We've been curious about the question, 'How low can you go?'" Martin Gibala, an exercise physiologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, agrees. He wanted to see how effective a 10-minute workout could be compared to a standard 50-minute session. He devised a micro-workout that consists of three exhausting 20-second intervals of all-out, as-hard-as-you-can exercise, followed by brief rests. In a three-month study, he compared the short workout to the standard one to see which one was superior.

Even though one activity was five times longer than the other, the workouts resulted in identical improvements in heart function and blood sugar control. "You can get away with remarkably little exercise if you're willing and able to push hard," Gibala says. (Read here for more information on the 1-minute workout.)

6. It can help you recover from a major illness

Even very vigorous exercise, such as the interval workouts Gibala is researching, can be beneficial for people with a variety of chronic conditions, ranging from Type 2 diabetes to heart failure. That is novel thinking because people with certain diseases have been advised not to exercise for decades. Scientists now understand that far more people can and should exercise. A recent review of over 300 clinical trials discovered that for people recovering from a stroke, exercise was even more effective at assisting them in rehabilitating.

Since the early 1990s, Dr. Robert Sallis, a family physician at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center in California, has recommended exercise to his patients in the hopes of reducing drug use. “It performed remarkably well, especially in my sickest patients,” he says. “I would see tremendous changes in their chronic condition, not to mention all of these other things like sadness, anxiety, mood, and energy levels if I could just get them to do it on a daily basis—even just walking, anything that brought their heart rate up a little bit.”

7. Your fat cells will shrink

Carbohydrates and fats are both used as energy sources by the body. However, consistent aerobic exercise training improves the body's ability to burn fat, which requires a lot of oxygen to convert into energy. "One of the advantages of exercise training is that our cardiovascular system becomes stronger and more efficient at delivering oxygen, allowing us to metabolize more fat as an energy source," Hackney explains. As a result, your fat cells, which produce the substances that cause chronic low-grade inflammation, shrink, and inflammation increases.