New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- There are many reasons to exercise. Being healthy and fit are the obvious goals, and there are other add-ons: These could be muscle and strength gain, injury reduction, weight loss, getting better at a sport, and of course, mobility and movement. But there is another underlying benefit that is as important as the others. And that is activating the central nervous system (CNS) through exercise.

This is the central processing unit of the body and controls almost every reaction, emotion, movement, and instinct. Not only is it important to activate it before a workout, but it is also something that is helped by regular exercise.

"The central nervous system has been thoroughly studied by anatomists and physiologists, bu...