The Neuroscience of Your Workout

Why do you exercise? It might be to lose weight, maintain or improve your health, reduce stress, or perhaps a combination of all of these. But what is actually motivating you is simpler than that. As Dr. Gary Wenk reveals in his book "Your Brian on Exercise", you exercise because your brain needs you to move, and it will do everything it can to motivate you to do it. He provides fascinating insights into exactly what is happening to our brains when we go jogging, lift weights, swim laps, or take a walk, as well as what happens when we don't. He'll also answer questions we all have about exercise vs diet to lose weight and perhaps, most importantly, how much exercise is enough. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit

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The Neuroscience of Your Workout is an episode from This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg by Dr. Phil Stieg.

This episode is 27:46 long.

This episode was published on Nov 14, 2025.

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