Exercise is physical activity for the purpose of improving health or achieving fitness and training goals. Depending on the type of activity, exercise is typically used to increase endurance, strength, balance, or flexibility, as well as for weight loss or other aims. Exercise is increasingly recognized as important for personal as well as public health, as it can play a major role in preventing or managing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and other conditions that impact a growing number of people around the world.

The potential health and fitness benefits of exercise have increased in recent decades thanks to a growing understanding of human physiology and the science of exercise. Properly designed training regimens can reduce the physical stress and injury risks from doing too much or the wrong type of exercise for your needs, and the science of nutrition has also provided insights into choosing optimal diets for individual needs and goals. Health data is also playing a growing role in exercise, as mobile phones, wearable devices, and apps can help record physical activity as well as track metrics like caloric expenditures and body mass index (BMI).‎

If you love to exercise and are passionate about helping people achieve their fitness goals, you can pursue a career as a personal trainer. These fitness experts are responsible for designing exercise and often dietary plans to meet their clients’ needs, instruct them on the proper ways to do these exercises so they don’t injure themselves, and motivate them to power through their workouts and stick with their training regimen.

If your love of exercise is rooted in a desire to help people address health challenges and recover from injuries, you may wish to get the education required to become a licensed physical therapist. Physical therapists use exercise and other training techniques to help their patients improve movement, manage pain from chronic conditions, and rehabilitate from injuries like torn ligaments or broken bones. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists earned a median annual salary of $89,440 per year in 2019, and entering this field requires a doctor of physical therapy degree and state licensing to practice.‎

Yes! Coursera offers opportunities to learn about exercise from a variety of perspectives, whether you want to improve your own health and fitness or deepen your understanding of the science of exercise and physical therapy. You can take courses remotely from top-ranked schools like University of Colorado Boulder, McMaster University, University of Toronto, and Case Western Reserve University, while paying a significantly lower tuition than on-campus students. And, because you can view course materials and complete assignments on a flexible schedule, you can build this valuable knowledge in your free time even with a busy work or family life.‎