You're Only as Old as You Feel

-Alexandra Metzler

The powers of a steady fitness routine are impressive. Regular exercise can help you build stronger muscles, stave off chronic illnesses, and help your clothes fit better. But there's another benefit of physical activity that deserves a shout-out: exercise shaves your age.  While you can't change your chronological age, exercise can improve your health to the point where you look and feel younger than you are, says Frank Frisch, PhD, director of kinesiology at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.
One way in which exercise helps you feel younger, is that a workout is like nature's energy drink--  energizing your brain and body so you feel more alert and alive.

"Exercise puts your body in a state of arousal, which translates into more vitality and a greater sense of well-being," says Frisch. "Daily tasks become less strenuous and require less exertion." It's the kind of pep in your step that makes you feel like you've peeled off a decade or two.

Exercise also jumpstarts your sex drive.

“A sweat session improves blood flow all over your body, and the extra blood surge makes you feel more responsive and increasing arousal,” says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. Exercise also powers your sex drive in a psychological way. "Working out brings on more confidence about your appearance and body, and that puts you in a sexier mindset," says Dr. Minkin. And don't forget the all-over energy surge exercise offers, which gives you extra fuel so you can rock the sheets.

Exercise keeps your skin soft and glowing.

A dewy sheen on your cheeks thanks to all the sweat dripping off your forehead may not be the only way fitness keeps your skin young. Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario studied a small group of adults between ages 20 and 84. The frequent exercisers who were over the age of 40 had skin that resembled the elastic skin of people in their 20s and 30s. The difference had nothing to do with sun exposure , reported the research team. They explained that exercise creates body substances that help slow aging in skin.

Exercise improves your posture and flexibility. 

Thanks to muscle loss and bone density changes, your posture and flexibility takes a hit as you age. Strength training builds muscle and bone health, especially in your core and along your spine, so you naturally stand taller and shave years off your appearance, says Amie Hoff, personal trainer and founder of Hoff Fitness in New York City. Working out also makes you feel more psychologically powerful, so you naturally stop slouching and straighten up, she adds.

As far as flexibility, regular workouts, especially stretching-oriented routines such as yoga and Pilates, keep you loose and bendy, says Hoff. "If cardio workouts are your preference, you can still boost your flexibility by warming up and cooling down with foam roller exercises," she suggests. This foam fitness tool gets rid of the knots that form in muscle, reducing rigidity.

Lastly, exercise helps you sleep soundly.

Restful sleep is like a fountain of youth, and exercise helps you achieve it. "Research shows that regular exercisers fall asleep more easily and are more likely to experience deep REM sleep," says Frisch. A heart-pumping workout tires you out, sure, but there's more to it than that. Sleeping well helps all the systems in your body function optimally, so you're less likely to feel stressed and then toss and turn all night.