Benefits of Exercise: Mood, Muscle and Metabolic Health

Regular exercise can improve how you feel, think, move and recover. It can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, provide structure and social connection, increase muscle mass and strength, and improve the way your body manages glucose and other metabolic demands.

These benefits develop across different timeframes. An individual session may provide a mental reset and sense of accomplishment. Repeated training builds strength and fitness. Consistent activity creates greater physical reserve for work, recreation, illness and later life.

The most useful form of exercise is one that provides an appropriate challenge and fits into your life well enough to continue.

Exercise can improve mood and mental wellbeing

Mental benefits are among the most immediate and personally meaningful effects of exercise.

A walk, gym session, swim or team sport can create a break from work, screens and repetitive thoughts. Exercise can provide routine, a sense of progress and confidence in what your body can do. Outdoor and group activities can also add social contact and time spent in a different environment.

Research supports a genuine effect on mental health symptoms. A large overview of systematic reviews found that physical activity interventions reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress across a wide range of adult populations.[1]

The benefits were seen with several forms of activity. A separate network meta-analysis found that walking or jogging, strength training and yoga could all reduce depressive symptoms, although results varied between individuals and exercise types.[2]

This leaves plenty of room for personal preference. Someone may enjoy the focus of lifting, the rhythm of running, the calm of swimming, the concentration required for climbing or the social energy of team sport.

Severe or persistent anxiety and depression still warrant appropriate assessment and treatment. Exercise can form one part of care alongside social support, psychological therapy and medication when these are indicated.

Building muscle improves physical capability

Resistance training gives muscles a reason to adapt. Over time, the muscle fibres become better able to produce force and may increase in size.

Increased muscle mass and strength support:

• lifting, carrying and moving objects;
• climbing stairs and getting up from a chair;
• work, sport and recreational activities;
• joint control and balance;
• tolerance for longer or more demanding activity;
• recovery after illness, injury or inactivity.

A meta-analysis of resistance-training studies in adults over 50 found that progressive resistance exercise increased lean body mass, with the response influenced by factors such as training volume and progression.[3]

Strength also has a neurological component. Early improvements often occur because the nervous system becomes better at recruiting and coordinating muscle fibres. Visible changes in muscle size may take longer, while useful improvements in performance can begin earlier.

Resistance can be provided by dumbbells, machines, cables, resistance bands or body-weight exercises. Squats, sit-to-stands, step-ups, presses, rows, calf raises and loaded carries can all form part of a whole-body program.

The challenge needs to increase as the body adapts. This may involve gradually adding resistance, repetitions, sets or more difficult variations while maintaining control and technique.

Muscle contributes to metabolic health

Skeletal muscle is active tissue with an important role in glucose regulation. Contracting muscles use glucose for energy, and regular exercise can improve insulin sensitivity.

This is particularly relevant to the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Structured aerobic training, resistance training and programs combining both have been shown to improve average blood sugar levels (Hba1c) in people with type 2 diabetes.[4]

Exercise can also support:

• blood-pressure control;
• cardiorespiratory fitness;
• circulation;
• triglyceride levels;
• the body’s capacity to handle physical and metabolic stress;
• ongoing management of cardiovascular risk.

Aerobic and resistance exercise produce overlapping but different adaptations. Walking, cycling, running and swimming develop cardiovascular and respiratory capacity. Resistance training develops muscle mass, strength and the ability to produce force. A program containing both provides a wider range of benefits.

People taking insulin or medicines that can cause hypoglycaemia may need individual advice about glucose monitoring, meals and medication around physical activity.

Greater strength creates physical reserve

Physical reserve describes the capacity available when the body faces extra demands.

A person may need that reserve during an infection, after surgery, following an injury or during a period when normal activity becomes difficult. Greater strength and fitness provide a higher starting point and may make it easier to regain previous function.

This reserve becomes increasingly valuable over time. A 2024 randomised trial followed generally healthy people around retirement age. Participants who completed one year of supervised heavy resistance training maintained their leg strength several years later, while strength declined in the comparison groups.[5]

The participants were generally healthy and active, so the exact results may differ in people with frailty or complex medical conditions. The study still provides useful evidence that a defined period of resistance training can produce durable benefits.

Social exercise can make activity more rewarding

Exercise can also provide community, routine and a reason to leave the house. A scheduled walk, training session or game creates a commitment that may be easier to maintain than an entirely self-directed program.

For LGBTQIA+ people looking for an welcoming environment, the EMEN8 LGBTQ sports directory includes a South Australian section.[9] At the time of checking, it listed Adelaide groups for basketball, walking, climbing, running, rugby, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

These groups vary in intensity and competitiveness. Several welcome beginners or offer social participation. Contact details and schedules can change, so check directly with the group before attending.

How much activity should you aim for?

Australia’s current movement recommendations advise adults to include:

• moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days;
• muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days each week;
• functional activities targeting mobility, balance and coordination on at least three days each week;
• several hours of light physical activity across the day;
• regular breaks from prolonged sitting.[7]

The recommendations for adults over 65 retain this combination of aerobic activity, strengthening, balance, coordination and regular light movement.[8]

A practical week could include:

• brisk walking, cycling, swimming or running on several days;
• two whole-body resistance-training sessions;
• balance or coordination activities such as dancing, tai chi or racquet sports;
• a social walk, class or team-sport session;
• short periods of movement during otherwise sedentary days.

Short sessions can be combined across the week. Frequency and consistency allow the benefits to accumulate.

Building more capacity

Exercise can improve mood, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, build muscle, increase strength and support metabolic health. It can also provide structure, confidence, recreation and community.

A useful program usually includes some aerobic activity, resistance training and activities that develop balance or coordination. The exact combination can be adapted to your health, interests and available time.

If pain, breathlessness, fatigue or a medical condition is making it difficult to begin, a GP review can help identify relevant limitations and guide an appropriate exercise or referral plan.

References

1. Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R, Dumuid D, Virgara R, Watson A, et al. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(18):1203–1209. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195
2. Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gómez D, Taylor P, Del Pozo Cruz B, van den Hoek D, et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2024;384:e075847. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-075847
3. Peterson MD, Sen A, Gordon PM. Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(2):249–258. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181eb6265
4. Umpierre D, Ribeiro PAB, Kramer CK, Leitão CB, Zucatti ATN, Azevedo MJ, et al. Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2011;305(17):1790–1799. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.576
5. Bloch-Ibenfeldt M, et al. Heavy resistance training at retirement age induces 4-year lasting beneficial effects in muscle strength: a long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2024;10(2):e001899. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001899
6. de Labra C, Guimaraes-Pinheiro C, Maseda A, Lorenzo T, Millán-Calenti JC. Effects of physical exercise interventions in frail older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. BMC Geriatr. 2015;15:154. doi:10.1186/s12877-015-0155-4
7. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Recommendations for adults aged 18 to 64 years [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Government; 2026 [updated 2026 Jun 3; cited 2026 Jul 16].
8. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Recommendations for older adults aged 65 years and over [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Government; 2026 [updated 2026 Mar 16; cited 2026 Jul 16].
9. EMEN8. LGBTQ sport teams [Internet]. Sydney: Health Equity Matters; 2026 [cited 2026 Jul 16].