Running is quite an athletic activity and as such, it is highly beneficial to the body. Going for a morning or evening run could do your body a whole lot of good as it aids in improving mental and physical health.
It is a form of aerobic exercise that aids in the reduction of stress, improvement of heart health, and also curtailing depression symptoms. Among numerous fitness exercises that are highly impactful positively to the health, running should be given first place.
Furthermore, many health experts are of the view that the human body was perfectly designed to engage in running. They hold unto this conception because the shape of our feet and hips, the length of our legs, the shock-absorbing spinal discs, and our ability to perspire give us the capability to run several kilometers.
They are quite correct because there are a plethora of health benefits that are tied to running and it is what we do partially or fully, almost every day.
Trying to run if you haven’t done it for a long time could prove quite strenuous but once your body adjusts to the new development, it could be quite meditative, blissful, and free. Thus, health is within our grasp, and running in itself is one of the avenues to staying healthy.
Furthermore, just a 30-minute run helps in clearing the mind and improving mood. As well as running on a treadmill for 30 minutes is enough to have the same effect. Even people who didn’t run but walked at a brisking pace had the same mood-lifting effect.
This indicates that no matter how fast or slow you are moving, moving has numerous advantages to the body.
In this article, we are going to explore the health benefits of running.
RUNNING STRENGTHENS THE JOINTS
Studies have shown that running can reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis. Surprising right? Every time you go for a run, your bones, cartilage, and muscles are also stretching and springing back together. This helps in building the bone and several low-impact exercises such as swimming, biking, and walking don’t even have the same bone-building effect that you get from running.
RUNNING IMPROVES YOUR CORE
Your lower body isn’t the only part of your body that benefits from running. Running also enhances the functionality of your six-pack rectus abdominis, deeper core muscles, obliques, transverse abdominis, and the erector spinae.
These muscles play a significant role in keeping your spine stabilized, giving power to your arms and legs in motion. Thus, running is quite essential to almost all muscles in your body.
RUNNING HELPS TO IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY
If you’ve studied numerous articles on sleep and its benefits, you’ll see that running is one of the facilitators of healthy sleep.
Exercising has always been one of the things that could improve sleep quality and if you indulge in running you’ll find that you sleep better. Also, you should keep in mind that your workout routine could affect your sleeping habits. So, make it a duty to sleep well and exercise regularly.
There was a time some runners were warned to stop evening workouts as it could disrupt their sleep at night. Later on, it was found to have facilitated and improved their sleep quality.
However as much as it is healthy and convenient to work out in the evenings, make sure you avoid exercises that are intense when it is close to bedtime.
RUNNING COULD HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Running involves the continuous movement of your entire body so you are likely to burn more calories if you indulge in it frequently.
Another beautiful fact about running is that you don’t have to run fast to achieve max burn. By slowly jogging consistently, that could also be achieved.
A recent study proved that running burns roughly 150 calories per mile. So if you want to calculate accurately, you can multiply 75 by your body weight in pounds and get how many calories you burn per mile.
Moreover, you should know that losing weight isn’t a difficult job but keeping weight. Research has proven that individuals can lose a significant amount of weight in just six months and after that, if not properly managed, the weight can creep back, doubling its previous number.
The only way to lose weight and remain that way is by indulging in frequent body exercises. Running is one of such. So, make it a duty to run at least twice a week if you are looking to lose weight.
RUNNING INCREASES YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY
Numerous studies have shown that running could increase your lifespan. Recent research also found that runners have about 30 to 35 percent lower rate of all-cause mortality on a follow-up that people who don’t run at all. Running twice a week is better than no running at all.
Another research also proved that runners are more likely to gain up to 4 years of extra life. This was concluded because most runners have better body composition, stronger bones, lower cholesterol, excellent glucose, insulin control, and most of all a positive neurological functioning.
A lot of people want to live long in sound health but they aren’t ready to put in any work. To be in amazing health, you have to learn to take exercising very seriously. Run more and drink enough water.
At Ball State University, a research observed that a group of 75-year-old women that were old lifetime runners had biological profiles almost identical to 25-year-old graduates who weren’t exercising.
So, if you love your body and truly want to enjoy your life or age graciously, start exercising today!
RUNNING IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH
A lot of people don’t know this but exercise one of the best remedies for treating depression and staying mentally fit. A lot of research has shown positive pieces of evidence that that exercise could also help in the treatment of mental disorders.
A recent study in 2014 at the University of British Columbia proved that when you indulge in exercises that increase your heart rate and make you sweat, it can help to boost and improve the size of the hippocampus.
Running could help you improve your mental health in a lot of ways but this doesn’t mean you should rely only on running. You could also try other arrays of medical approaches alongside.
YOU DON’T NEED PRACTICE TO GO FOR A RUN
Running is such an amazing exercise. Unlike most fitness activities like yoga, dance classes, and Olympic lifting that may require a learning curve, running is totally easy to do.
It is a natural motion that you could perform without as much as a thought, and it gives you numerous health benefits.
RUNNING IMPROVES THE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Everybody knows that aerobic activities can improve heart health so it is not a surprise that running can do the same too.
Generally, the more you run, the healthier your heart will be. However, you can get numerous benefits without having to do a lot when it comes to running. Running for just 5 minutes per day can give you a healthier and functional heart.
YOU CAN ALWAYS FIT IN A RUN IN YOUR SCHEDULE
No matter how duty-ridden your days are, you can still fit in a run for some minutes. Whether you are traveling for work purposes, or have a few minutes to yourself, you can still make out some time to move your muscles.
RUNNING HELPS IN IMPROVING YOUR MEMORY
If you can’t recall some events that have long eluded you, lace-up and hit the road. Running has a way of directly affecting your brain. A study at the University of British Columbia showed that regular aerobic exercises such as running can increase the size of your hippocampus.
The hippocampus is an area of the brain responsible for learning and verbal memory. Thus, running helps in improving past experiences.
YOU DON’T NEED A LOT TO GET THE BENEFITS OF RUNNING
You don’t need to be a marathon runner or a professional athlete to obtain all the benefits involved in running. According to a meta-analysis that was featured in the published journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings running for as little as 50 minutes weekly can help in protecting the body from diabetes, arthritis, some can cancers, high cholesterol levels, and the likes.
So, spending 50 minutes running a week can give you lots of health benefits, and these are the same benefits that athletes enjoy!
RUNNING KEEPS YOUR BODY SYSTEMS FINETUNED
Running also helps in most of your body parts and systems in a good state. While running, blood pressure is regulated, insulin sensitivity is improved, metabolism is enhanced, and so on. It also ensures you are productive throughout the day.
Running also makes you feel more confident. A study revealed that running enhances people’s confidence, and it improves body image.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Running has a variety of health benefits, and interestingly, it is what we can do almost every day. Now that you have seen the numerous benefits that running gives, don’t stop hitting the road whenever you want to workout.
A daily run may prevent another Doctor’s appointment!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6148340/
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/importance-of-physical-activity/index.html
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