Whether you do it to lose weight, to reach a fitness goal or — dare we say it? — just for fun, exercise changes you.

There’s the red face and the sweating, the pounding heart and pumping lungs, the boost to your alertness and mood, the previously nonexistent urges to talk about nothing but splits and laps and PBs.

But while we all know that staying physically active is essential to a long, healthy, productive life, we don’t often understand exactly what’s happening behind the scenes.

We asked the experts to take us through — from head to toe — what happens in the body when we exercise. Neuroscientist Judy Cameron, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Tommy Boone, Ph.D., a board certified exercise physiologist, and Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center spill the beans on what gets and keeps you moving.

Muscles
The body calls on glucose, sugar the body has stored away from the foods we eat in the form of glycogen, for the energy required to contract muscles and spur movement.

It also uses adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, but the body only has small stores of both glucose and ATP. After quickly using up these supplies, the body requires extra oxygen to create more ATP. More blood is pumped to the exercising muscles to deliver that additional O₂. Without enough oxygen, lactic acid will form instead. Lactic acid is typically flushed from the body within 30 to 60 minutes after finishing up a workout.

Tiny tears form in the muscles that help them grow bigger and stronger as they heal. Soreness only means there are changes occurring in those muscles, says Boone, and typically lasts a couple of days.

Lungs
Your body may need up to 15 times more oxygen when you exercise, so you start to breathe faster and heavier. Your breathing rate will increase until the muscles surrounding the lungs just can’t move any faster. This maximum capacity of oxygen use is called VO₂ max. The higher the VO₂ max, the more fit a person is.

Diaphragm
Like any muscle, the diaphragm can grow tired with all that heavy breathing. Some argue that as the diaphragm fatigues, it can spasm, causing a dreaded side stitch. (Others argue a side stitch is due to spasms of the ligaments around the diaphragm instead, while others believe the spasms to originate in the nerves that run from the upper back to the abdomen and arecaused by poor posture!) Deep breathing and stretching can alleviate the discomfort in the middle of a workout, and preemptive strengthening in the gym can ward off future issues.

Heart
When you exercise, heart rate increases to circulate more oxygen (via the blood) at a quicker pace. The more you exercise, the more efficient the heart becomes at this process, so you can work out harder and longer. Eventually, this lowers resting heart rate in fit people.

Exercise also stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, causing blood pressure to decrease in fit people.

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Running has so many benefits – it relieves stress, strengthens your muscles and turns your body lean. It’s hard work at first, but after a few weeks your body finds its rhythm and you begin to crave the feeling of running free. Here’s how to get started.

Getting Out There

Go outside and run. Now. The best way to start running is simply to put on a pair of running shoes and hit the pavement, dirt or grass. The motion of running will feel strange at first, as muscles that normally get much use spring into awkward action. This is normal. Run until your legs are burning and your chest is heaving; for true beginners, that usually occurs after about 5 – 10 minutes.

• • When you’re just starting out, you don’t need fancy running shoes. An old pair of sneakers will do. Once you know you want to continue the sport, you can upgrade. 

• • Run in comfortable clothes. Put on gym shorts, a t-shirt, and a sports bra if necessary. Don’t wear anything too constricting. 

• • Run anywhere. Your neighborhood, in a park, up and down your driveway, on the local track at a school. One of the best things about running as a sport is that you can do it almost anywhere, and you’re not chained to a gym.

Use good form. Try to loosen your body and move forward in a way that feels natural. Pump your arms, take comfortable strides, stand upright with a slight forward lean, and pick your feet up high off the ground so you don’t catch a toe in a crack in the sidewalk. Every runner has a slightly different gait, since everyone’s body is different, so figure out what works for you.

• • Avoid bouncing and try to land softly in order to reduce stress on your knees and other joints. 

• • Find your stride. Recent evidence has come to light that your foot strike (toe, midfoot, heel) is a natural occurrence that should not be altered. That being said, the faster you run the more forward on your foot your strike will be. 

• • Relax your upper body. Holding yourself stiff impairs mobility and makes you run slower. Keep your weight centered and your shoulders in a relaxed position, with your arms bent at 90 degrees.

Breathe. Breathe naturally or focus on a breathing technique. Some argue that the best breathing technique is inhaling oxygen through the nose, fully expanding the lungs, and exhaling through a widely opened mouth. Your nose is a good filter for air, especially while running outdoors, which prevents you from accidentally swallowing bugs. Exhaling through your mouth allows your body to get rid of more carbon dioxide and heat with less effort.

Stretch when you get home. Although the benefits and/or drawbacks to stretching before a run are controversial, there is little argument about the benefits of stretching at the end of each workout. Stretch out each muscle group, holding each stretch for at least 15-20 seconds.

• • The most important muscles to stretch are your leg muscles. Stand a few feet from a wall and lean into the wall (moving one foot closer to the wall but leaving the other one a meter out) so that you feel your calf muscles being stretched. Do one side then the other. 

• • Bend your knee and lift your foot till your foot is back up near your butt. Hold that foot with your hand and bring it real close to your butt. You should feel a stretch along the front of your thigh. Swap sides. Alternatively, you can step forward and lunge into the front foot, keeping your knee behind your toe until you feel the stretch in your thigh. This will save your knees, instead of putting unnatural stress on the tendons and ligaments around your knee that could lead to future damage. 

• • Standing near a table or a fence rail (at about hip height) try and put your foot up on the table or fence rail. Now try and straighten out your leg. You should feel a stretch along the back of your leg. Swap sides.

Starting a Routine

Run at least three days a week. This is how you build endurance; running once a week won’t cut it. Space out the days to allow for recovery time between sessions. Anything more goes beyond fitness and into running for other purposes, something you may find yourself doing if bitten by the running bug.

• • Run rain or shine, in cold weather and hot. Just be sure to dress appropriately for the weather.
  • Stay hydrated and eat light before running. 

Add time and distance. As the weeks go on, push yourself to run further and for a longer period of time. If you ran 10 minutes at a time the first week, push yourself to do 15 the second week. Make it 20 the third week. You’ll soon find that you’re able to go much longer before you feel like you have to stop. To build endurance, try these strategies:

• • Don’t worry about speed at first. In fact, you should really run more slowly than you think you should. You’re not running a race yet; you’re increasing your fitness level. For now, focus on gradually decreasing the time or increasing the distance you run. The racing can come later, if you choose.
  • Alternate running and walking. Rather than stopping your exercise session when you feel like you have to stop, walk for a few minutes, then start running again. Repeat over a period of 30 or 40 minutes. Next time you run, increasing the ratio of running to walking during the same 30 or 40 minute period. Eventually, get to the point where you’re running the entire time.
  • Do sprints. Running as fast as you can for a short period of time builds up your muscles and helps you gain endurance. Mix up your long running sessions with sprinting days. Use a stopwatch to time yourself. Start by sprinting as fast as you can for a quarter mile; do this 4 – 6 times. On your next sprinting day, try to beat your first time. Add more quarters as you gain endurance and strength. 

Map out some favorite routes. Running the same boring track day in and day out is going to make you feel burned out pretty soon. Treat yourself to a run in the woods, or in a neighborhood you’ve never explored before. Try to rotate your workout sessions between 2 or 3 different places to keep things interesting.

• • Make it convenient. Find places to run near your home, work and/or school. Schedule workouts when you are least likely to be interrupted like early in the morning or on the way home from work.
  • Be prepared for changes in plans by carrying some gear with you (in your car) when at work or school. That way if the traffic is terrible, you can go for a run until the traffic thins out.

Don’t give up too soon. After a few runs, you might be inclined to think you aren’t cut out for running. You’ll think to yourself, shouldn’t this be more fun by now? Why does it hurt so much? Just keep going. Tell yourself you’ll give it at least two weeks before throwing in the towel. After a few weeks of pushing yourself by following a running routine you will begin to feel lighter, faster, and you’ll start having more fun. Eventually you’ll realize you don’t want to miss a run.

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Half of all UK seven-year-olds do not do enough exercise, with girls far less active than boys, a study suggests.

University College London researchers found just 51% of the 6,500 children they monitored achieved the recommended hour of physical activity each day.

For girls, the figure was just 38%, compared with 63% for boys.

Half of the group also spent more than six hours being sedentary each day, although some of this would be spent in class, the researchers acknowledged.

The study, published in the online journal BMJ Open, found levels of activity varied among groups.

For example, children of Indian origin and those living in Northern Ireland were among the least physically active with 43% achieving the recommended levels, compared to 53% in Scotland.

Worrying

But the most marked difference was between girls and boys.

Researchers said this suggested there needed to be a focus on making sport and other activities more attractive to girls.

Prof Carol Dezateux, one of the lead authors, said: “There is a big yawning gap between girls and boys. We need to really think about how we are reaching out to girls.

“The school playground is an important starting point. Often you will find it dominated by boys playing football.”

But she said there should still be concern about the activity levels across the board.

“The findings are particularly worrying because seven-year-olds are likely to become less active as they get older, not more.”

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Activities such as dancing, reading and going to the theatre have a “positive impact” on the health of Scots, new research has suggested.

The Scottish government-commissioned study was based on data from the Scottish Household Survey 2011.

It found that people who take part in or attend culture events are more likely to report “good health and life satisfaction” than those who do not.

The report comes on the day Commonwealth Games tickets go on sale.

Glasgow will host the event in the summer next year.

The research found that regardless of factors such as age, economic status, income, education and disability, cultural participation was positive for health and wellbeing.

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