Medically reviewed by
faculty at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health
View as List 7 Reasons to Love Exercise
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Exercise is good for so many reasons, some obvious, some not. It can help you lose weight, gain strength and fight mild depression. The benefits also include better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, stronger bones and a more efficient heart. Every month, studies on the benefits of exercise appear. Here’s a sampling of recent ones.
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Better Brain Health
Older people who are the most physically active experience less brain shrinkage (a process linked to cognitive decline and dementia) and fewer other signs of aging in the brain than their sedentary counterparts, according to a study of 638 people in their 70s, published in Neurology. In contrast, MRIs revealed that participating in mental or social activities did not affect brain size.
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More Protection Against Dementia
A multi-nation European study of 639 people over 65, published in the journal Stroke, found that exercise was associated with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment and a 60 percent decrease in vascular-related dementia (such as that resulting from a stroke).
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Reduced Breast Cancer Risk
In a large study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, women who reported exercising regularly (in the past or present) had a reduced risk of developing the disease. But maintaining a healthy weight is also essential, the study found, since substantial weight gain, especially after menopause, nearly wiped out the exercise benefit. A 2009 review of research on exercise and breast cancer prevention concluded that the evidence is “compelling."
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Less Cancer-Related Fatigue
A review by the Cochrane Collaboration of 56 studies confirmed that exercise such as brisk walking or cycling can help reduce fatigue related to cancer and its treatment. Most of the research looked at people with breast or prostate cancer.
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Longevity
Physical activity can add years to people’s lives, according to an analysis from the National Cancer Institute in PLOS Medicine, which included data on 650,000 people in six long-term studies and controlled for other factors that affect longevity. Those who exercised moderately (for instance, walking briskly 150 minutes a week) lived about four years longer, on average, than their sedentary counterparts. Even those who did modest amounts of exercise (such as 75 minutes of walking a week) lived nearly two years longer. And the benefit was seen in the obese as well as in thinner people.
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Sense of Well-Being
When university students increased their usual daily exercise by even modest amounts, they reported a greater sense of satisfaction with life, according to two studies from Penn State, published in Health Psychology.
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Arthritis Relief
In people with osteoarthritis of the knee, aerobic and aquatic exercise help reduce disability and, along with strength training, reduce pain and improve functioning, concluded a review in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Adherence to an exercise program was the key to its success.
