Some Physical Benefits of Running
Some Physical Benefits of Running
Running requires practice, so don’t expect to go run several miles on your first attempt. Start with fast walking, then try jogging, and then as your stamina increases, give running a try. You should see improvements in your stamina in as little as six weeks.
Aim to get out for your 30-minute walk/jog or run three times a week, doing a pause to recovery between these days. As you run more, you will notice you can go longer distances or places or can run faster than when you first started. Before you know it, you might be bragging about your “runner’s high” experiences and will feel healthier than ever.
Mental Health Benefits
Running is important because it helps the body release endorphins. Whether or not you ever experience the so-called “runner’s high,” getting exercise at regular periods can help bolster your mood and give you an outlet for anxiety or aggression.
Anxiety
For those people who experience anxiety that presents as nervousness, running can help work out some of that nervous feelings. Similar to depression, anxiety can be minimized by the increased endorphins and decreased cortisol that can be obtained from running. Doing something good for yourself like cardio exercise can also help boost your mood and overall feelings of well-being.
Sleep Benefits
If you do regular cardio exercise like running, this simple action can help you with getting better sleep at night, which in turn helps you avoid injury as restorative hormones are released during sleep to help you recover from the day’s activities. Notice that running close to bedtime may usually make it more difficult to fall asleep, so time runs accordingly to obtain a good benefit.
Depression
Most runners make the claim that a run can help boost their mood, but keep in mind that clinical depression needs more than running to be treated. Running can also help manage depression, but should not be used as a replacement for therapy or medication without first consulting with a licensed mental health professional.
Physical Benefits of Running
Skin Benefits
When you run, your body increases blood circulation, which in turn boosts the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the skin. The reduction in cortisol that comes from running is also favorable to the skin, helping to maintain the skin healthy and increasing the production of collagen.
Weight Loss
Some new runners first will notice a loss in fat and inches before they consider any reduction in numbers on the scale. Clothes will begin to fit better and the body will appear tighter than before you or they started running. Running burns calories. Rounds of sprinting are especially good for burning calories – sprints are high-speed, short-distance episodes of running. When combined with a caloric deficit, running definitely can help you lose weight.
Strengthened Muscles
Though running shouldn’t be your first alternative for exercise if your main objective is to build your muscles and make them large, running does utilize many different muscles and will help build strength. The leg muscles of the quads, calves, hamstrings, and glutes, and hip flexors are all involved during running, but it’s important to observe that running is treated cardio and should be accompanied by flexibility and strength training to help avoid injury.
Cardiovascular Capabilities Increased
Any cardio exercise done on repeated occasions has the potential to increase your cardiovascular capabilities and stamina, but running, in fact, is a great exercise for cardio training. This full-body movement recruits both large and small muscles and tests the heart.