Working out isn’t just skin deep. While social media can make it easy to fall for toxic diet culture or constant comparison games, there are plenty of reasons to work out that have nothing to do with your physique. When we focus on fitfluencers and misinformation on gym-Tok, we sometimes forget why we work out in the first place. And at the end of the day, going to the gym isn’t about status or winning a competition – it’s a basic act of self-care. If you’ve felt yourself losing the plot or forgetting why you work out beyond your body image, we asked experts to remind us of the many benefits of exercise, the vast majority of which have nothing to do with weight loss or looks.
The health benefits of exercise are plentiful. On a physical level, exercise boosts your heart and bone health as well as your overall longevity, allowing you to live a longer, more comfortable life. There are also powerful benefits related to mental health, with studies showing that exercise can help you feel happier, more connected, and less stressed. To better illustrate this point, we rounded up 13 benefits of exercise, as informed by fitness experts. Read on to restore your motivation and remind yourself of all the reason you love to work up a sweat.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Rachel Prairie, CPT, is a fitness coach, the manager of training operations at Anytime Fitness, and the owner of Earth & Iron Wellness.
Grace Taylor, PT, DPT, is a practicing physical therapist at Boston Sports Medicine Physical Therapy.
Benefits of Exercise
Working out isn’t just about building your dream physique. Here’s a few more benefits to inspire your next sweat sesh, according to a fitness coach and physical therapist.
- Better Sleep: A good workout during the day can help you wind down when it’s time to sleep. According to a systematic review of studies on sleep and exercise, both moderate aerobic activity and high-intensity resistance training can boost your sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster. Increased exercise has also been linked to improvements in sleep parameters like total sleep time, deep sleep, and REM sleep latency (the time from sleep onset to the first stage of REM sleep). Just make sure you’re exercising at least one or two hours before bed. Aerobic exercise causes the body to release endorphins, which can keep some people awake, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- Boosted Mood: Exercise is one of the easiest ways to elevate your endorphins (aka your body’s “feel good” hormones). Endorphins are natural pain relievers thought to improve your mood and reduce stress. For the best mood-boosting workout, Harvard Medical School suggests working at a moderately intense pace.
- Reduced Depression: Beyond a heightened mood, exercise is also tied to lower rates of depression and anxiety. In a 2016 study, participants with severe depression practiced 30 minutes of meditation and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise twice a week for eight weeks total. The result? Improved mood and decreased depression. Notably, the participants also experienced neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells) – something that’s typically inhibited when someone has depression. So while depression is complicated, the good news is that exercise may help people manage the symptoms.
- Improved Cognition: Exercise can boost your memory, learning skills, problem solving, and more, per the the CDC. In fact, studies suggest the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory are larger in people who exercise than in people who don’t, according to Harvard Medical School. One such study published in the journal Frontiers found that exercise can counteract normal and disease-related aging. So next time you hit the gym, know that you’re strengthening your brain as well as your body.
- Stronger Bones: Prioritizing your bone health when you’re younger can make a big difference in bone density as you age. “To keep bones strong, the body breaks down old bone and replaces it with new bone tissue,” says Rachel Prairie, CPT. “But around age 30, bone mass stops increasing. In your 40s and 50s, you slowly start losing more bone than you make.” Exercise can help increase bone density when you’re younger and stave off osteoporosis later in life. Resistance exercises like walking, hiking, jogging, and lifting weights are the best for strengthening bones because this mechanical stress “promotes bone remodeling and in turn maintains (or can even improve) bone mineral density,” adds Grace Taylor, PT, DPT.
- Healthier Heart: Active people tend to develop less coronary heart disease than their sedentary counterparts, Taylor says. In fact, as many as 250,000 deaths per year in the United States can be attributed to a lack of regular physical activity, according to a review published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal, Circulation. This is because exercise reduces risk factors for heart disease – lowering blood pressure and reducing “bad” cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol and promoting insulin sensitivity. Your heart powers your body, and working out is one of the best ways to take good care of it.
- Healthier Habits: “Exercise is often a gateway for people to create additional healthy habits in their lives,” Prairie says. “The act of consistent movement opens the door for more.” For instance, you might be encouraged to seek out a healthier breakfast post-workout, or maybe you take the stairs instead of the elevator. Either way, getting into a consistent workout schedule can positively influence other areas of your life, even if it’s just getting enough sleep so you can wake up early for the gym, or prepping a protein-packed meal to support the strength training you have planned.
- Increased Energy: If you’re constantly tired, working out can help you feel more energized. While it may seem counterintuitive, research, such as this 2022 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, shows that exercise generally gives you more energy, especially if you’re consistent. Plus, you may not have to push yourself to the brink to reap this benefit. One 2008 study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics found that participants who reported the biggest improvement in fatigue were actually those who biked at a low-intensity pace. So the next time you feel too tired to even reach for the snooze button, consider hitting the gym instead.
- Less Stress: Stress can lead us to seek out unhealthy coping mechanisms that only increase feelings of negativity in the long run. For many, starting a new workout routine, getting into running, or trying a new sport can be great outlets for stress and anxiety. Plus, studies show exercise helps your body react better to stress and develop more emotional resilience in the long run.
- Muscle Mass: By now you know that working out can build muscle – but you might not know how that muscle mass may benefit you later on. According to Taylor, exercise is a well-established countermeasure against muscle aging, which can prevent declines in muscle metabolism and function (meaning you’ll stay stronger for longer). Maintaining muscle strength can also aid in injury prevention and make daily tasks easier. “As people age, they lose muscle mass and strength, a condition known as sarcopenia, and strength training is one of the best ways to help slow that decline,” Prairie says.
- Human Connection: Working out in social settings is a great way to meet people and enjoy human connection, whether you’re collectively cursing your spin instructor for another round of hills or chatting post-yoga class. In fact, exercising with others has been shown to have more positive effects on well-being than exercising alone. These kinds of social relationships also happen to be one of the strongest predictors of happiness.
- Improved Immunity: According to a 2019 research review published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, moderate-intensity exercise can help promote cellular immunity by increasing immune cell circulation in your body. This helps your body better prepare for a future infection by detecting it earlier. Another study published in Clinical and Experimental Medicine found that there’s lower incidence, intensity of symptoms, and mortality of viral infections in people who are regularly physically active. While you shouldn’t drag yourself to the gym if you’re feeling ill, think of your workout routine as one more piece to include in your immunity toolbox (as far as prevention is concerned).
- Scheduled Self-Care: Exercise is self-care in so many ways, but for many people, the best part of exercising is that it blocks out time for you. Whenever you book a group class, start up a YouTube workout, or even just take a few minutes to stretch before bed, exercise is an act of self-care that’s for you and you only. It gives you time to reconnect with your body, check in, and take care of yourself.
– Additional reporting by Chandler Plante
Kaley Rohlinger Kaley Rohlinger is a freelance writer for PS who focuses on health, fitness, food, and lifestyle content. She has a background in the marketing and communications industry and has written for PS for over four years.
Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Health and Fitness. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she enjoys finding new ways to rock her 18(!) different eye patches, and making videos about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.
