Is Working Out Every Day Good for You? Here’s What You Need To Know

If you love hitting the Peloton Tread or Peloton Bike a few times a week, you may be wondering if you should be working out every day—and if that’s even safe or healthy to do. Whether your goals are to improve your general fitness, lose weight, live a healthy lifestyle, or all of the above, there are plenty of benefits of daily exercise. 

While motivation and drive certainly play a role in maintaining a consistent daily routine, most Peloton instructors (and avid exercisers) will tell you that habits beat willpower every time. 

Read on to find out if it’s good or bad to workout every day. (Spoiler alert: Balance is everything.) We’re also sharing the things that Peloton Members and experts do to ensure they're able to make fitness an everyday part of their life.

Should You Workout Every Day?

Whether you work out every day or just a few days per week comes down to your preference and comfort levels. However, a recent study by the University of Cambridge showed that just 11 minutes every day of moderate to vigorous activity could lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. And, if that’s not enough motivation to get moving on the daily, there are actually many other benefits to exercising every day, from mental health to improved memory. 

Exercising Daily Supports Heart and Brain Health

Like most things in life, balance is key. Working out daily is good for your health—as long as you don’t overdo it. Many studies have shown that frequent and regular exercise, be it power walking, aerobics, swimming, running, or even dancing, has a positive effect on cardiovascular health. It can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and maintain good heart health. 

Exercising every day has also been found to help improve your memory, concentration, and other cognitive functions as it boosts blood flow to the brain. Studies have also shown it may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease too. 

Regular Workouts Boost Overall Fitness and Mobility

It’s a no-brainer that working out every day has significant benefits for your general fitness levels and mobility. That’s because being sedentary or not moving all that much in the day causes the fascia, or connective tissues, to stiffen. Doing some form of exercise every day helps your fascia stay flexible and can avoid injury at the times you do any physical activity too. 

Consistent Exercise Supports Mental Health

Working out every day doesn’t just have physical health benefits, but also mental health benefits too. That rush you get after a workout? That’s your endorphins kicking in. Studies have shown that regular and consistent exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and over time that can help boost feelings of happiness, reducing anxiety, stress, and depression. In fact, exercising every day consistently keeps your energy going strong so the more you do, the more energetic you are. 

Staying Fit Helps Sleep & Relaxation

The flip side to the energy you’ll experience from exercising every day is a better night’s sleep and relaxation. This is ideal if you’re someone who struggles to drop off to sleep after a long day or you want to improve your general sleep quality. Studies have shown a positive connection between the amount of physical activity you do and your sleep quality. 

Is It Bad To Work Out Every Day?

With any good thing, there are usually a few downsides, and with working out every day, balance will be your friend. Not overdoing things and over-exerting yourself is key. Pushing yourself too hard physically could cause some issues such as:

By striking a cadence of daily exercise that suits your body, this can be avoided. Daily exercise might include a brisk walk, stretching, or even gardening. The trick is finding exercise you enjoy and will stick to. Go easy on yourself too and if you’re having a day you just aren’t feeling it, that’s OK. Pick back up tomorrow and try again. One caveat? If your workout of choice is weight lifting, you may want to rethink lifting weights every day so your muscles have time to properly recover.

How to Workout Every Day

Working out every day can feel like a commitment, but if you schedule it into a routine around work, kids, and anything else—even for just 15 minutes a day—you’ll feel the benefits.

The best approach is diversifying your workout types, or not doing the same exercises every time. Mix it up, keep it fresh, and make sure to include some lighter days and it’ll be easy to stick to. Here are a few tips to help you get into good daily exercise habits.

Start Short 

When you’re just starting out, committing to exercising at all can feel impossible, let alone exercising for 30 or 60 minutes every day. That’s why Peloton Members agree that starting with 15- and 20-minute workouts is the best way to form a daily habit. And the reason is simple: It’s much easier to find 15 minutes in your busy day than it is to find 60. 

Members do warn that once you’re hooked on the high of a 15-minute ride, you’ll be much more likely to carve out time for a longer one.

Schedule Your Workouts 

“I schedule my fitness. The last thing I do at the end of the day is look over my schedule for the next day and plan for exactly what time I’ll work out,” says Alison Helig, author of The Durable Runner: A Guide to Injury-Free Running. 

Helig explains that treating your workout as something that’s just as important as a professional meeting or a can’t-miss appointment will help you keep the commitment to do it every day. “If it’s there, scheduled out, I’ll do it,” adds Helig. “And then I get a little bonus shot of joy when it’s done and I get to cross it off my to-do list for the day too.”

Vary Your Workouts

Too much of the same thing can get monotonous. Keep your daily workouts fresh and fun by mixing them up. It could be that you’ll take a different class on the Peloton App, try different instructors on your Peloton Bike, Bike+, Row, or Tread, and add in more relaxing workout days like yoga or pilates, or just a nice long walk.

You can break up a 30-minute exercise session into three 10-minute sessions throughout the day. Or try adding a few HIIT sessions into your weekly routine to nail that high-intensity aspect.

It’s important to view any stretching or active recovery as part of your exercise too, so even if you’re just having a session with your foam roller, that can be your lighter day.

Partner Up

Exercise can be a sociable part of your life too, and what better way to stay accountable to your goals than to partner up with a pal on some of your workouts. It’s also a great way to stay connected to your friends while working towards shared goals. 

Set Goals

Having ways to measure your success against others and yourself will challenge you to work out, even on days when sweating is the last thing on your mind. That’s why Peloton Members love the Power Zone Pack Challenge, in which riding as a member of a team who your teammates are counting on adds an additional impetus to commit even on sluggish days. For non-Power Zone riders, participating in monthly mileage challenges and earning badges for milestones, streaks, and special events help reward you on your fitness journey and support you in getting to your next goal.

Dress the Part

Looking for an easy way to help make a workout happen? One Peloton Member changes into her workout clothes immediately after getting out of bed if she’s riding in the morning and the minute she gets home from work when she rides in the evening. That’s smart because the longer you sit in your pajamas or in your work clothes, the less likely you are to get on the Bike—and conversely, once you’re in your athletic wear the chances that you’ll skip your workout are slim to none.

The easiest way to get started on your daily exercise routine? Keep things fun, fresh, and exciting with the Peloton App—there really is a workout to suit every style and mood.