Most people understand exercise, and more broadly physical activity, to be beneficial to health from a physical perspective. In other words, it’s good for your heart, muscles, and potentially your waistline. What is often less appreciated is the importance of exercise to several aspects of brain health. Physical activity has been shown to be helpful in a variety of neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including reduced risk of dementia, reduced feelings of anxiety and depression (in individuals with and without clinical diagnoses), improved cognitive function, and improved sleep.

A 2018 meta-analysis of over 260,000 participants found that individuals who engaged in regular physical activity had significantly lower odds of developing depression compared to those who were inactive (Schuch et al., 2018). This is on top of other health benefits, including lower all-cause mortality, lower incidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, lower incidence of multiple types of cancer, and reduced risk of excessive weight gain, just to name a few. Especially as we age, physical exercise allows us to improve or maintain physical function and reduce the incidence of falls and fall-related injuries. Aerobic exercise has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus—a brain region critical for memory and learning, even in older adults (Erickson et al., 2011). 

Everyone wants to be healthier, but many find that time for exercise seems more like a luxury infrequently found. Like with many behavior changes, first there needs to be a willingness and a readiness to make a change. Even when they are ready, many feel stuck on the question “but what do I do?” Small changes often win the day when it comes to lasting change. Changes benefit from accountability, and another person, or a community, is often the best way to achieve this. Especially if you are less familiar with exercise, you may be more likely to stick with it and reduce your likelihood of injury if you start with supervised exercise, either via exercise groups or via individual sessions with a personal trainer. If you have preexisting medical conditions, it may be best to speak with your primary care physician first as well. 

How much do I need to do? Here’s the best part—any amount of exercise is beneficial to your health. Doing 10 minutes a day is better than doing zero. Doing two hours on the weekend because you can’t find time during the week is significantly better than not doing anything seven days per week. In general, the more you do, the more benefit you get, but you get more from the first hour than you do from the last. The good news is you don’t need to carve out hours at the gym. Even short bouts of activity—three 10-minute walks a day—can offer the same mental health benefits as one longer session (Sharma et al., 2006). 

Most of the benefit is realized if you hit 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week to support both mental and physical well-being (Piercy et al., 2018). Remember that being sedentary has its own detrimental health effects independent of level of fitness, so whenever you can, get that five-minute exercise snack every hour while you’re awake. Aerobic physical activity appears to benefit mental health through both psychological and biological mechanisms, such as increasing blood circulation to the brain and regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which plays a central role in stress response (Sharma et al., 2006). 

We live in a world where time is limited and there are seemingly endless demands to navigate throughout the day, so it can be easy to view physical activity as optional or secondary. However, science tells us it’s anything but. Movement—whether it’s walking the dog, taking the stairs, going to yoga, or weightlifting at the gym—has powerful effects on both your physical and mental health. Regular activity can improve your mood, sharpen your mind, benefit your sleep, and even lower your risk of chronic illnesses. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, so consider how you can incorporate bits of movement into your day. Your brain and body will thank you.