Hormesis is the universally observed biphasic dose response of physical, chemical and biological stressors which at low levels generally have health beneficial effects. Moderate and repeated physical exercise as a stress-inducing hormetin is the paradigm for this phenomenon of physiological hormesis. Repeated mild stress activates several early and later adaptive and protective pathways in cells and organisms, that can have numerous health-beneficial, ageing-modulatory, and lifespan-extending effects. The essential requirement for the action of hormetins is the initiation of a cascade of stress response pathways, followed by the activation of other metabolic pathways of maintenance and repair. Thus, potential hormetins present in the food or synthesized chemically, combined with other physical and mental hormetins, can be used both as supplements and drugs for maintaining, recovering and enhancing health and longevity.