Why is exercise and muscle gain important?

Exercise provides a wide variety of health benefits, including improved cognition, mental health, blood-pressure, insulin sensitivity, body-composition, body weight, sleep, bone health, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical function.^[1] Moreover, regular exercise is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and an assortment of diseases (e.g., type-2-diabetes, cardiovascular-disease, certain cancers, dementia).^[1] Similarly, higher levels of muscle mass are associated with improved health outcomes, such as a reduced risk of falls and all-cause mortality.^[2]