Definition of Running is an activity of moving fast on foot, quicker than a walk. It is very simple but when have it as a habit, Running has a life changing influence on your overall well-being, mindset and confidence. Running has changed my life for good. To share my experience, I have highlighted 5 top health benefits from running. And yes, probably the hardest thing is to make Running a habit. Once you succeed you feel how different your body, mind and perception become.
Most important now is first to make an effort to understand the health benefits of running and second to give it a try.
Improve your health, immunity and enhance your emotional well-being by:
- loosing abnormal weight
- reducing the risk of heart attacks
- lowering your blood pressure
- strengthening your bone structure
- changing your mindset
- boost your confidence
We have to admit that we always find excuses not to go in the park. But at one point we realize that we need to change our life routine to successfully respond to increasing stress and uncertainty Life confronts us.
Very important is before start running to identify reasons (benefits) for that and the top 5 health benefits are:
1 Boost the weight loss
Regular running burns more calories than other activities. It burns roughly 100 calories per mile. (For better accuracy, multiply .75 x your body weight in pounds to get your personal calorie burn per mile.) And you don’t have to run as fast as possible. Strat with jogging, then following the progress, increase the pace according to your improved physical condition.
But, it is a well-known fact that running can’t overtake a bad diet. For completing a desired weight loss, running and a proper diet go hand in hand. Numerous studies show that we as individuals can lose weight in several months. Then we change the running routine and diet and weight is coming back. We have to admit that keeping the weight off is incredibly hard.
A program – the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) – has kept track of successful weight -losers. The NWCR is following a large group of people who have lost an average of 66 pounds, and kept the weight off for 5.5 years. Ninety percent of them exercise an average of an hour a day. Ninety-eight percent have modified their diet in some way.
Yes, it takes work and consistency to keep the running habit, but the effort it is rewarding in long term perspective. Lower body weight appears to “profoundly enhance” health-related quality of life (1).
2 Improve your heart condition and lower your blood pressure
Regular moderate or vigorous aerobic activity as Running gets your heart pumping. As a consequence it increases its longevity and capability over the long haul. It’s certainly keeping your heart well healthy when growing older.
A study, which looked at data from more than 55,000 adults over the course of 15 years, showed a positive connection between heart health and running among the participants. Specifically, runners in the study had a 30% lower risk of death than non-runners. And if you just focused on heart-related causes of death like a heart attack or stroke, then the runners were 45% less likely to die of those causes than non-runners.
Overall, runners in the study lived on average three years longer than the non-runners. Running exercise, no matter how fast or how long, seemed to be very beneficial, according to the study.
Running 30 minutes a few times per week helps reduce LDL, the “bad” type of cholesterol and increases the HDL, the “good” type of cholesterol. High blood pressure also becomes normalized through consistent physical activity.
3 Improve your immunity
David Nieman (Exercise scientist and 58-time marathoner) has spent the last 40 years looking at the links between exercise and immunity. He has uncovered mostly very good news, while also looking at the effects of diet on the immunity status of runners.
He concluded that modest exercise improves immunity, ultra-endurance efforts can decrease immunity (at least until you have fully recovered).
In a 2019 paper, Nieman and Laurel M. Wentz summarized “The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system.” Also, they report an evidence that running can improve the body’s surveillance against disease and lower inflammation. It can reduce risk of upper respiratory infections and influenza, and improve antibody response, a health benefit we should not underestimate.
4 Reduce your stress and increase confidence
Running can relieve stress as it triggers hormones called endorphins that make us feel positive and vital. When we run we escape from everyday problems. You go to the park and you stop thinking (at least for a while) about problems we daily face. Basically, we give the brain a chance to refresh and reload.
On top, Running helps us to feel calmer, less anxious and provides a goal to work towards. Thus, stress levels are efficiently decreased. Research also shows running with other people, on weekly park runs, provides a connection to the community and boosts mental health. It may also make us more likely to stick to the habit (2).
Last but not least, running can boost your self-esteem by making you look better by toning muscles and losing weight. According to research, physical activity is directly and indirectly associated with self-esteem. (3)
5 Boost your MOOD
Many runners take up the sport to improve their physical fitness. After a short time, these new runners often give a different answer to the “Why do you run?” question. But the most frequent answer is: “Because it makes me feel better.” They are talking about emotions, mood and mental energy. Of course appropriate running gear is essential.
“The link between exercise and mood is pretty strong,” says Michael Otto, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Boston University, in an article for the American Psychological Association. (4)
Physical activity and self-esteem are linked from an early age. The toned look that comes from running, can raise confidence levels. So, if you’re suffering from low self-esteem in adulthood, go for a run and watch your confidence soar.
Unlike many forms of exercise, running is typically done outside. This is great news for your confidence, because recent research (5) shows that exercising in green spaces results in increased self-esteem.
In summary
To wrap up the topic for health benefits from running, I will conclude with Oprah Winfrey’s words after she successfully participated in a Marine Corps Marathon during 1994. She said “Life is a lot like a marathon. If you can finish a marathon, you can do anything you want.”
Deciding to start running is a crucial first step, but making a habit is a life changing choice. Don’t wait, put your running shoes and improve your health, mindset and confidence!
References
- Impact of weight loss on Health-Related Quality of Life | SpringerLink
- Running on a high: parkrun and personal well-being | BMC Public Health | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)
- Physical activity and self-esteem: testing direct and indirect relationships associated with psychological and physical mechanisms – PMC (nih.gov)
- The exercise effect (apa.org)
- The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise – PubMed (nih.gov)
