3 Powerful Benefits of Exercise You Might Not Expect
You probably know that exercise is good for you, but that knowledge alone may not be enough to get you started. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 31% of adults worldwide do not meet the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.
If you're living with pain, exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. It is not always easy to get started—especially when movement feels uncomfortable, exhausting, or even intimidating.
The good news is that research continues to uncover powerful reasons to move more, regardless of your age or fitness level. Here are three surprising ways exercise can help even if you are living with pain.
1. A Healthier Brain
Exercise doesn't just strengthen your muscles—it also strengthens your brain.
Research looking across many studies shows that regular movement can help with memory, focus, and clear thinking. In these studies, many people experienced improvements after about 12 weeks of starting a regular exercise program.
One reason is quite simple: when you move your body, more blood flows to your brain. That helps bring in oxygen and nutrients your brain needs to work well. Movement also seems to help calm long-term inflammation and stress in the body, which are both linked to brain ageing.
Over time, these effects may matter even more than day-to-day focus. Large global research, including the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia, highlights physical inactivity as one of the key lifestyle factors linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
As researcher Ben Singh, PhD, explains, "Regular physical activity reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to cognitive decline."
2. A Mood Booster
Exercise doesn't just benefit your body—it can also have a powerful effect on your mental health.
A large review of clinical trials found that regular exercise can significantly reduce symptoms of depression. Walking, jogging, strength training, yoga, and other forms of movement all showed benefits. Researchers found these improvements across many different groups of people, regardless of age, existing health conditions, or the severity of their depression.
Because of this growing body of evidence, many experts now consider exercise an important part of depression treatment alongside therapies such as counselling and medication.
One reason exercise is so effective is that it influences several brain chemicals involved in mood and stress, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins. These chemicals help regulate how we feel, improve our ability to cope with stress, and may even reduce how intensely we experience pain.
You don't need to train for a marathon to experience these benefits. Even regular walks or gentle movement can make a meaningful difference over time.
3. Supporting Recovery
Exercise is now recognised as an important part of treatment—not just prevention—for many chronic health conditions. Research shows it improves outcomes for people living with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and after stroke, helping people regain movement, independence, and quality of life.
This is now reflected in major clinical guidelines. The American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology both recommend regular physical activity as part of standard care for cardiovascular disease, rather than something to avoid.
Similar findings appear in mental and neurological health research. A 2023 Cochrane review found that exercise improves walking ability, balance, and daily functioning after stroke, while also supporting mood and reducing fatigue.
What This Means for You
If you’re living with pain, starting to move again can feel uncertain or even intimidating. But as the research shows, even small, consistent movement can help you think more clearly, feel more balanced in your mood, and support your long-term health. You don’t have to do it perfectly, and you don’t have to do it alone.
At Avan Movement, I help women living with pain rebuild strength, confidence, and trust in their bodies through safe, personalised movement. Together, we'll find an approach that works for your body and your goals—so you can move with greater confidence and less fear.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2016). Physical activity/exercise and diabetes: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/39/11/2065/29342
American Diabetes Association. (2024). Standards of care in diabetes—2024. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/issue/47/Supplement_1
American Heart Association. (2020). Physical activity and exercise recommendations for adults and children with chronic conditions. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000918
BMJ. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (2020). Saunders, D. H., et al. Physical fitness training for stroke patients. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003316.pub7/full
English, C., et al. (2016). Exercise after stroke: Systematic review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26795183/
European Society of Cardiology. (2021). ESC guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/34/3227/6358713
Farina, N., Rusted, J., & Tabet, N. (2014). The effect of exercise interventions on cognitive outcome in Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics, 26(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610213001385
Singh, B., Bennett, H., Miatke, A., Dumuid, D., Curtis, R., Ferguson, T., Brinsley, J., Szeto, K., Petersen, J. M., Gough, C., Eglitis, E., Simpson, C. E., Ekegren, C. L., Smith, A. E., Erickson, K. I., & Maher, C. (2025). Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: A systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(12), 866–876. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589
TIME Magazine. (n.d.). Exercise & fitness guide. https://time.com/collections/guide-to-exercise/4474874/exercise-fitness-workouts/
World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Physical activity fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity