Exercise

Exercise, also known as working out, is physical activity that helps improve or keep fitness and overall health. People do exercise for many reasons, such as weight loss or keeping their weight steady, helping their bodies grow and become stronger, building muscles and improving the cardiovascular system, getting better at athletic skills, feeling healthier, or just for fun. Many people like to exercise outdoors where they can meet with friends, talk, and feel happier and better in their minds as well as in their bodies.

For good health, it is usually suggested to do about 150 minutes, or 2 hours and 30 minutes, of moderate-intensity exercise each week. This can help lower the chances of getting health problems. Even doing just a little bit of exercise is better than doing none. For people who move around only a little now, adding just two or three minutes each day of moderate activity could help lower the risk of dying early by 10%.

Classification

Physical exercises are grouped into three main types based on their effects on the body. Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups and increases the body’s use of oxygen, improving cardiovascular endurance. Examples include running, cycling, swimming, and walking. Anaerobic exercise builds strength and muscle mass, with activities like push-ups, pull-ups, and weight training. Flexibility exercises, such as stretching, help improve joint movement and keep muscles limber.

Exercise can also focus on accuracy, agility, power, and speed. Exercises are either dynamic, like running, or static, like weight-lifting, each affecting blood pressure differently.

Health effects

Physical exercise is important for keeping the body healthy. It helps maintain a healthy weight, supports the digestive system, builds strong bones, improves muscle strength, and keeps joints flexible. Exercise also boosts overall well-being, reduces risks from surgery, and strengthens the immune system. Studies show that regular exercise can help people live longer and feel better.

Most of the benefits from exercise come from about 3500 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes each week. This can include activities like climbing stairs, vacuuming, gardening, running, and walking or biking for transportation. Even doing half of the recommended exercise helps lower the risk of early death, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

Main article: Physical fitness

Regular physical activity helps improve fitness levels for most people. Exercise can increase muscle size, especially when combined with proper diet. Early motor skills in children also play a role in their future fitness, as children who develop these skills well tend to stay active and healthy as they grow.

Main article: Cardiovascular fitness

Exercise is very good for the heart and blood vessels. Not being active increases the risk of heart disease. Children who exercise regularly have better heart health and less body fat. For adults, moderate exercise—like activities that use about 40–60% of maximum oxygen—can greatly lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. After a heart attack, people who start exercising regularly often have better survival rates.

Main article: Immune system

Moderate exercise can help the immune system. It may lower the chance of getting infections like colds. However, very intense and long exercise, like running a marathon, can sometimes weaken the immune system temporarily.

Exercise may also help people with cancer. Studies show that staying active can improve quality of life for cancer survivors, helping with feelings of tiredness and anxiety. It may also reduce the risk of some cancers, like breast and colon cancer.

This is an excerpt from Neurobiological effects of physical exercise § Major depressive disorder.

Exercise has been shown to help people who feel sad or depressed. Many studies found that regular physical activity can improve mood and feelings of well-being, similar to some treatments for depression. Different types of exercise, such as walking, yoga, or strength training, can all help reduce symptoms of depression.

Getting regular exercise may also help improve sleep quality, especially for adults over 40 years old. Some research suggests that exercise can help people who have trouble sleeping, although more studies are needed to know for sure.

People who exercise regularly often notice improvements in their breathing and lung function. However, it’s important to be aware that exercising outside, especially near busy roads, might increase exposure to air pollution.

Mechanism of effects

Skeletal muscle

Main article: Skeletal muscle

Exercise helps build stronger muscles and makes them stronger. When you do activities like lifting weights and then eat foods rich in protein, your muscles grow bigger and get stronger. This happens because the exercise and food work together to tell your body to make more muscle-building materials and less of the things that break muscles down.

Doing exercises like running or swimming also helps your muscles use energy better. This makes your body better at using oxygen and energy, which helps you go longer before getting tired.

Other peripheral organs

Exercise helps more than just your muscles. When your muscles work, they release special substances that help your body heal and stay healthy. These substances can help fix damage, grow new cells, and keep your body from getting sick. Exercise can also help lower certain chemicals in your body that can cause problems.

Central nervous system

Further information: Neurobiological effects of physical exercise § Neuroplasticity

Exercise is good for your brain too. When you move your body, your muscles release special chemicals that help your brain grow and stay healthy. These chemicals can help your brain make new connections and keep it working well.

Public health measures

Community-wide and school campaigns help encourage people to be more active. Some programs for older adults, like exercises that improve balance, can be very helpful. Simple changes in the environment, such as signs that encourage using stairs, can also make a difference. For example, the city of Bogotá, Colombia, blocks off many roads on Sundays so people can walk or bike safely.

Parents play an important role by being active themselves and encouraging their children to play and move each day. Health experts recommend that children and teenagers get at least 60 minutes of activity daily. Schools can help by including physical exercise in their programs and creating environments where kids can stay healthy. The European Commission supports projects to increase physical activity across Europe through programs like Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+.

Exercise trends

People around the world are doing less physical work because jobs and daily tasks have become easier with machines and technology. This means many people need to find other ways to stay active and healthy. Luckily, changing personal habits, like adding more exercise to daily life, can help.

Different kinds of exercise are popular all over the world. Running helps build physical fitness. Skateboarding is great for the heart. Swimming strengthens muscles. Football is enjoyed as a way to stay fit. In some places, people prefer indoor exercise at health clubs, while others love being outside. For example, in Bogotá, Colombia, a long road is closed every Sunday so people can bike, run, or skate together. In Sweden, outdoor gyms let people work out in nature, swimming in rivers or running through forests. In China, many people dance together in parks to stay healthy and social. These differences show how people enjoy exercise in ways that fit their cultures and surroundings.

Nutrition and recovery

Proper nutrition is just as important for health as exercise. When you exercise, having a good diet helps your body get the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to recover after hard work.

After exercising, active recovery helps your body heal faster. It clears out lactate from the blood, which helps lower body temperature safely and supports your immune system. Experts suggest following the "4-Rs": rehydrate with fluids, refuel with carbohydrates, repair with protein, and rest with good sleep. How exercise affects hunger can differ for each person, depending on how intense and long the activity was.

Excessive exercise

Excessive exercise, also known as overtraining, occurs when someone exercises too intensely or for too long without proper rest. This can lead to physical and mental problems, such as fatigue, weakened muscles, and mood changes. It’s important to balance exercise with adequate rest and recovery to stay healthy and enjoy physical activity.

People should listen to their bodies and avoid pushing themselves too hard without giving their body time to heal. Proper nutrition, rest days, and moderate exercise help prevent the negative effects of overdoing it.

History

The benefits of exercise have been recognized for thousands of years. As early as 65 BCE, the Roman politician Marcus Cicero highlighted how exercise supports the mind and spirits. During the Early Middle Ages, the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe also valued physical activity for survival.

In the 19th century, exercise became more organized. In 1858, Archibald MacLaren opened a gymnasium at the University of Oxford, which influenced training in the British Army. Later, in 1930, the Women's League of Health and Beauty was founded by Mary Bagot Stack in the UK. Researchers later discovered that physical activity helps prevent health problems, such as heart disease.

Other animals

Animals such as chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos engage in less physical activity than humans do, yet they stay healthy. This shows that physical activity might work differently in various animals.

Studies with mice show that when given activity wheels, they choose to exercise more, especially as they grow older. Some mice bred especially for running showed better endurance and brain health. In fish like salmon and yellowtail amberjack, exercise helped them grow faster and swim better. Some reptiles also improved with exercise, though results varied among different species.