How Exercise Affects Every System in the Human Body

August 22, 2021

by Cathe Friedrich

Get off the couch and get moving! That’s the message more healthcare professionals and fitness trainers are sending their clients and for good reason. Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It’s not just a way to stay in shape, it’s a way to boost mental and physical health, manage stress more effectively, lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Regular exercise helps prevent or manage chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease-even increase longevity. All of these benefits from regular exercise come with no negative side effects (except those sore muscles). Exercise can have a positive impact on other aspects of your life, too. It can reduce stress, improve sleep and manage pain, but it also has benefits for every system in the human body. Let’s look at how exercise affects each bodily system.

Cardiovascular System

One of the most compelling reasons to do aerobic exercise is to improve the health of your heart and circulatory system. Exercise makes your heart a more efficient pump, making it easier for it to deliver oxygen to your cells and tissues. One manifestation of this is an improvement in aerobic capacity and stamina.

Plus, exercise improves how blood vessels function. For example, cells inside the inner walls of your arteries produce nitrous oxide in response to exercise. Nitrous oxide causes blood vessels to expand so that your blood pressure drops. Plus, it also lowers your risk of platelets sticking together to form a blood clot.

Other Ways Exercise Benefits Cardiovascular Health:

Boosts good (HDL) cholesterol
Lowers the risk of obesity
Lowers blood triglycerides
Reduces bad (LDL) cholesterol

Nervous System

Aerobic exercise benefits your nervous system too. Some studies show that people that are physically active have lower rates of cognitive decline and dementia as they age. Plus, animal studies reveal exercise helps protect nerve cells and boosts the formation of new nerve cells connections, a concept called neural plasticity. Some people refer to exercise as “fertilizer” for the brain.

Don’t underestimate the mood-boosting effects of exercise either. Aerobic exercise, especially exercise sessions longer than 20 minutes, increases the release of endorphins, chemicals that have naturally pain-relieving and mood-boosting benefits.

Immune System

You depend on a healthy immune system to fight off viruses and bacterial infections. Studies show that moderate exercise increases immune surveillance, meaning your immune cells become better able to recognize and fight foreign invaders. Exercise is like a few cups of coffee for your immune cells; they become more alert, focused, and ready to take action.

Does that translate into real-world benefits? A study of 547 adults found a 29% reduction in the risk of catching upper respiratory infections in subjects who took part in moderate to intense exercises relative to less active participants. The benefits held even when the researchers controlled for other factors that affect the risk of catching upper respiratory infections and held across both genders and different ages.

Endocrine System

One of the important functions of your endocrine system is to control your blood sugar level. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training improve insulin sensitivity. With better insulin sensitivity, your pancreas has to release less insulin to keep your blood sugar under good control. So, you have a healthier blood sugar and insulin level. Improvements in insulin sensitivity also lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and weight gain.

Your endocrine system also plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle. Exercise helps sets your body’s internal biological clock, so your natural rhythms called circadian rhythms are in sync with your environment. Among other things, this can help you get a better night’s sleep.

Musculoskeletal System

Who can forget about this one! The main reason people exercise, especially strength training, is to prevent the age-related loss of muscle mass and the strength loss that goes with it. Unless you exercise, you’ll lose 3 to 5% of your muscle mass every decade past the age of 30. That adds up! Plus, loss of strength and muscle mass affects functionality and the ability to do the things you enjoy. High-impact exercise and resistance training also reduce bone loss and can even lead to modest gains in bone mass as an adult.

Gastrointestinal System

You might wonder if exercise has any benefit for the system that digests and processes your food. The benefits aren’t as compelling as for other systems but there are some. Regular exercise helps prevent constipation. There’s also evidence that regular physical activity supports a healthy gut microbiome and that you can change the composition of your gut microbiome through exercise. These benefits are independent of diet but related to body weight. Also, changes to your gut microbiome reverse once you stop exercising. Some studies also show that people who get the recommended amount of exercise each week, around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, have a lower risk of colon cancer.

The Bottom Line

Exercise is good for every part of your body! Make sure you’re doing a balanced workout that includes both aerobic and resistance training. They’re both important for health and longevity. How many lifestyle habits can you think of that have such a beneficial effect on almost every system in your body? That’s the power of exercise. Take advantage of it.

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