Exercise is important to keep our bodies healthy – but why? Let’s take a look at what happens inside your body when you exercise. When you exercise, your muscles produce heat and this causes the temperature of your body to rise, so you feel warmer. Your muscles are working hard and so they need more oxygen. Oxygen is in the air, so you breathe faster to get more air into your lungs. The oxygen moves from your lungs into your blood, and your heart beats faster to pump the blood around your body. This takes the oxygen to your muscles. During exercise, your muscles, lungs and heart all work harder and, as they do, they become stronger. So, over time, exercise also becomes easier, but that’s not all! Regular exercise can help improve your memory and help you pay attention. This is because, when you exercise, more oxygen goes to your brain, and this makes it work better. Exercise also releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel less stressed. This means you get better sleep and your body and brain become even healthier. So it’s no surprise that exercise also makes you feel happy! Experts recommend that we do at least 150 minutes of exercise every week, but don’t worry! You don’t need to do it all at once! In fact, it’s better to do a small amount every day – at least 10 minutes a day is perfect.