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.

Classification

Physical exercises are sorted into three main groups by how they help the body. Aerobic exercise uses big muscle groups and makes the body use more oxygen, which helps the heart and endurance. Examples are running, cycling, swimming, and walking. Anaerobic exercise builds strength and bigger muscles, with things like push-ups, pull-ups, and weight training. Flexibility exercises, like stretching, make joint movement better and keep muscles loose.

Exercise can also help with accuracy, agility, power, and speed. Exercises can be dynamic, like running, or static, like weight-lifting, and they change blood pressure in different ways.

Health effects

Physical exercise is important for keeping the body healthy. It helps keep a healthy weight, supports digestion, builds strong bones, and makes muscles and joints stronger. Exercise also helps people feel better and reduces risks from surgery. It strengthens the immune system. Studies show that regular exercise can help people live longer.

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. 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 make muscles bigger, especially with the right diet. Early motor skills in children also help them 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. For adults, moderate exercise can 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. Staying active can improve quality of life for cancer survivors and help with feelings of tiredness. It may also reduce the risk of some cancers.

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

Exercise has been shown to help people who feel sad. Regular physical activity can improve mood and feelings of well-being. Different types of exercise, such as walking, yoga, or strength training, can all help.

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.

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 make your muscles stronger. When you lift weights and then eat foods with protein, your muscles grow bigger and stronger. Exercise and food work together to tell your body to build more muscle.

Doing things like running or swimming helps your muscles use energy better. This helps your body use oxygen and energy well, so you can 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 stay healthy. These substances can help fix damage, grow new cells, and keep you from getting sick. Exercise can also help lower some chemicals that can cause problems.

Central nervous system

Further information: Neurobiological effects of physical exercise § Neuroplasticity

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

Public health measures

Community and school programs help people stay active and healthy. Some exercises for older adults, like those that improve balance, are very helpful. Small changes, 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 can help by being active themselves and encouraging their children to play and move each day. Health experts suggest that children and teenagers get at least 60 minutes of activity daily. Schools can help by including physical exercise in their programs and creating places 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 do less physical work now because machines and technology make jobs and daily tasks easier. This means many people need other ways to stay active and healthy. 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 very important for health, just like exercise. When you exercise, eating well helps your body get the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to feel better after working out.

After exercising, taking it easy helps your body heal faster. It clears out lactate from the blood, which keeps your body temperature down and helps you stay healthy. Experts say to follow the "4-Rs": drink fluids, eat carbohydrates, have protein, and get good sleep. How exercise changes your hunger can be different for everyone, depending on how hard and long the activity was.

Excessive exercise

Excessive exercise, also called overtraining, happens when someone exercises too hard or for too long without enough rest. This can cause problems like feeling very tired, weaker muscles, and changes in mood.

It’s important to balance exercise with rest to stay healthy and enjoy being active.

People should listen to their bodies and not push themselves too hard without giving their body time to heal. Good nutrition, rest days, and moderate exercise help prevent these problems.

History

People have known about the good effects of exercise for thousands of years. As early as 65 BCE, the Roman politician Marcus Cicero talked about how exercise helps the mind and feelings. During the Early Middle Ages, the Germanic peoples in Northern Europe also thought physical activity was important for staying alive.

In the 19th century, exercise became more organized. In 1858, Archibald MacLaren opened a gym at the University of Oxford, which helped shape training in the British Army. Later, in 1930, the Women's League of Health and Beauty was started by Mary Bagot Stack in the UK. Scientists found that being active can help stop health problems, like heart disease.

Other animals

Animals such as chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos do less physical activity than humans, but they stay healthy. This shows that exercise can work differently in different animals.

Studies with mice show that when they have activity wheels, they choose to exercise more, especially when they get older. Some mice bred for running had better endurance and brain health. In fish like salmon and yellowtail amberjack, exercise helped them grow faster and swim better. Some reptiles also got better with exercise, but the results were different for each species.