I’m going to discuss some obvious and less obvious health benefits of running.
Firstly, I’m no scientist but from simple research, it’s pretty clear that running can significantly improve physical and mental health. Running has been proven to reduce stress, improve heart health, and help with symptoms of depression. If you’re not clear on the key benefits or remain sceptical I’ve outlined 10 health benefits of running and jogging.
Humans have evolved to run, from surviving, hunting for good to a recreational and performance purposes. Raising your heart rate from resting to an active state will help your body to move oxygen and blood to your muscles more efficiently. In turn, this will help you burn more calories and lowers your cholesterol.
1. Running Makes You Fitter
Running is an amazing way to improve your cardiovascular fitness, which reduces the risk of all types of conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and strokes. This all contributes to a flywheel effect of helping you to lose weight.
2. Running Will Help You Lose Weight
If you weren’t aware, running burns a lot of calories!
You can burn a lot of calories when running, particularly if you include intervals or run faster than you normally do! Different conditions also play a factor (e.g. weather and terrain) but running will burn more calories than most other types of cardio including cycling and swimming.
The average person will burn 100 calories per mile, so this can soon add up. However, what you need to do though is find the balance with is what you eat. Running a 5k (3.1 miles) will burn around 300 calories but have a takeaway or a few alcoholic drinks and you’ll soon wipe out what you’ve burnt. If you’re looking to lose weight make sure you also track your calorie intake as exercise is only part of the jigsaw.
3. Running cuts your risk of heart disease.
Running helps improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, to name a few. All told running can reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 45%!
4. Stronger Joints and Bones.
Friends and family telling you running is bad for your knees? Don’t listen to them! The truth is there is actually generally lower hip and knee arthritis amongst active runners. A study from The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery found no correlation between running history and arthritis. In fact, the study also stated that hip and knee arthritis is highly dependent on age, family, and surgical history!
5. Running Clears The Head and Relieves Stress
Physical fitness the only benefit to running? No, your mental health can benefit just as much from running. Running is your time, away from the of day-to-day life. Leave technology and social network scrolling behind and get that endorphin rush from crushing a run.
If yoga isn’t your thing, running can work wonders for stress relief. However, you’ll need to be focused and pay attention when running so it can be a form of meditation. Got a problem with work you’re trying to solve or a challenging university assignment? Most importantly, you’ll be amazed how you can problem-solve while on the move, getting a different perspective on things.
6. Running Can Make You Feel Happier Instantly
Fact! According to a study by Glasgow Caledonian University of 8,000 active runnres, runners are happier, more positive and have higher self-esteem! Not much more I can say on this, facts are facts :-)
7. Running Improves Your Memory
Regular aerobic exercise increases the size of your hippocampus. Say what? That’s an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. Research from the University of British Columbia found that weight exercise doesn’t have the same beneficial brain effect.
8. Running Improves Your Brain
A study from the University of Arizona shows that runners have better connected neural pathways essential for higher-level cognitive functions! Those areas that that benefited most involved working memory, multitasking, attention, decision-making and visual awareness!
9. You don’t have to run a marathon to feel the benefits
Do I need to run 10, 20, 30 miles a week before I get the health benefits of running?
According to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that doing any amount of running is great for you, so don’t stress! Anything you’re doing it is better than scrolling social media being enviousness of other peoples perfect life. For those who think you have to do high mileage, studies have shown that even running one a week was as effective at reducing the risk of early death!.
10. It gets you outside!
Vitamin D! The sunshine vitamin that helps keep your bones healthy! In-fact the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharamacotherapeutics recommends that the more time you spend outside, the better! It’ll help lift your mood and get your immune system flowing.
Now I’m not going to bash against treadmill runners. Indoor and outdoor running both have their place. For example, indoor running provides a safe area to run at a controlled pace and out of any bad weather! That being said you will gain more from running outside, under your own steam :-)
