Exercise provides oxygen to your brain, relieves tension, improves your self-image and maintains your physical abilities throughout your lifetime. Exercising 30 minutes a day, even if you divide your exercise into 10-minute sessions, benefits your physical fitness.
Exercising strengthens your heart, so that it doesn't have to work as hard. This is why your resting pulse may decrease when you perform aerobic exercise regularly. This benefit could increase your lifespan.
Health Protection
Engaging in regular exercise is one of the most powerful investments you can make in your health. Regular exercise can prevent high blood pressure, increase your good cholesterol and reduce triglycerides to lower plaque buildup in your arteries. It improves immune function and reduces your risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Exercise also contributes to sound sleep, an important component in maintaining your health and alertness.
Conditioning
When you perform aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, dancing or jogging, you breathe more deeply and your heart rate increases. Your increased heart rate allows your body to pump more blood to your muscles to supply them with oxygen. As you continue your exercise program on a regular basis, your heart becomes stronger and your lung capacity improves. When you condition your body, you don't become as winded during exertion.
Fitness
As your body becomes more fit, you experience increased energy and strength. Developing stronger muscles, improved flexibility, coordination and endurance means that basic tasks of your life require less effort. When you're fit, your body performs efficiently and you'll find all forms of activity less taxing, including walking up stairs, getting in and out the car and unloading the trunk. Exercise also contributes to good posture by maintaining your muscle and bone strength.
Weight Management
Exercise -- particularly vigorous aerobic exercise and weight training -- make your body more efficient at burning calories. This means that you not only burn off calories during physical activity, you burn more calories 24 hours a day than you would if you were inactive. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking and jogging, and strengthening exercises such as weight lifting, pushups, pullups, crunches and dips help to preserve muscle. Keeping your muscle helps to maintain your metabolism as you age or when you reduce your calorie intake for weight loss.
Brain and Mood
Your exercise program can help guard against depression and reduce depression if you're currently experiencing it. Taking time to exercise reduces stress and improve your moods. A brisk walk, working out at the gym, recreational activities, fitness DVDs, sports, dancing, hiking and home exercise machines all offer the means to boost brain chemicals that elevate your mood. Regular exercise also protects your cognitive function as you age -- working out contributes to keeping your mind sharp.
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