We see running as a leisure activity. With our fast-paced lives nowadays, many activities like reading, running, exercising, or spending time with loved ones are defined as ‘leisure’. These need to be reframed as ‘essential’.
From time to time, experts and doctors have warned against our sedentary lifestyle i.e. we are physically inactive, for most of the day, in the same posture with the same mindset. Our environment plays an important role in our health. Running can be a life-changing habit as it teaches us discipline, fitness, not giving up when we want to, and pushing ourselves to limits. Other than wealth, our health, mind and body are our real investments. Running can easily improve this trio. Let’s begin with the physical aspect of our health-our body.
(When was the last time you had a run?)
The first and foremost impact of running is directly on our body. We have been listening to the quote “Health is Wealth” since time immemorial. Upon much thought, it holds to be true. We might have heard about many cases of heart-related issues. Truth be told, cardiovascular diseases can occur at any time and to anyone. Yet, there are controllable factors in our hands such as diet, water intake, exercising and of course simply running.
Let us have a look at a few benefits of running as mentioned below:
Cardiovascular refers to the heart and blood vessels and their role in circulating blood throughout the body. Our heart beats 1,00,000 times a day. It is in constant motion and needs our help with healthy eating habits. A good run is like a quick heart charge-up and smooth maintenance. A healthy resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. When we run, we kick a gear up and shift it between 90-120 beats per minute, which is smart heart-servicing.
The body's muscles and bones develop due to growth hormones, leading our bones to lengthen and muscles to grow. Growth is a natural process but growth does not mean healthy. Muscle and Bone strengthening can only be achieved by exercise to keep them in the best shape in terms of stamina. The best and quickest way to do this is to have a quick run.
While we run, we burn body fat, which helps our body maintain equilibrium and make room for healthier food metabolism and storage. Furthermore, running strengthens our calf muscles, feet, thigh muscles, torso, shoulder muscles, and overall body.
Running fast-tracks major body processes like breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation and many more. It releases hormones like dopamine, which enhances mood and supports immune function. The overall activeness gained by running revamps our immune system via increased blood circulation and hormone secretion. Think of it as a mock drill for our immune system.
Our mind speaks in the form of the changes in our body. Often we are confused with the term mental health itself, and it is normal to feel that. It is a state of mind and hard to grasp or understand. Humans are animals of intellect but with emotions, experiences, expectations and relationships. These make our lives complicated yet simple if we can manage. Sometimes all we need is a quick change, we often move towards social media or other visual content nowadays. However, it is time to consider the mental health benefits of running.
Below is an overview of how running can help your mind:
Running gives us a mental shift. Sometimes we are stuck on a thought or we start our mornings on a bad note. However, all we need is good exercise so our mind and body can start the day on a good note. Running can help us clear our minds. It gives us a benefit to plan our day and save our time.
We are daily reinforcing ourselves with habits. From the moment we wake up till we go to bed, our habits shape our lives. Given this, there is a huge lack of positive reinforcement in our lives today. Simply put, running makes us feel better. It is a positive reinforcement in itself.
Everyone feels overwhelmed at a moment in time. They feel stuck in a loop of actions, thoughts, and life. Yet something changes while running. Our body says stop, our mind screams, yet there is a part of ourselves telling us to do more and keep going. You can find this voice, too, by just running.
Health is a mix of our mind, body and many uncontrollable things. The longevity of life is debated in society today. Running indeed adds up to your long-term health and lowers the risk of chronic diseases. Moreover, running helps you live better. Research shows regular running may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression.
Studies show that running might help you live longer. This is due to various reasons such as, it makes us healthy, reduces stress, strengthens the immune system and much more adding up to an overall healthy and better life.
Various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, mental disorders, and hypertension can be kept at bay line with the help of running. It creates an environment such that the probability of a chronic disease occurring is reduced. Thus, running lowers the risk of chronic diseases.
Running connects us with nature and to our surroundings. While running our senses are heightened making us observe everything around us with a heavy breath. The body is churning, the legs might feel heavy, and the mind may go blank. Amidst all this when you stop or take a break, you catch your breath and your body feels like a feather, while you can hear the noise of your heart pounding inside you. This is what a running experience feels like. It makes our lifestyle better and acts as an emotional aid whenever we are low.
Tracking your distance, time, and pace helps assess your physical condition. It also reveals your mental ability to push limits. With these factors known, it gives us a sense of control and achievement.
Picking up the right thing first in the morning decides most of your day. A quick run after getting up rather than turning on the internet or scrolling through will help you manage your day and mood better.
Running releases endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin hormones that boost mood, motivation, and confidence. This makes us feel good and motivated for the day, boosting our confidence.
Running is the most budget-friendly exercise one can have. Pick your pair of comfortable shoes, and decide on a trail to run, it may be a park or any natural place nearby. Just show up and run.
We are surrounded by urban jungles nowadays. The infrastructure only makes us irritated, may it be roads, or railways or maybe no space to walk on footpaths. Amidst all this when you choose to run, you connect more with your outdoor environment and people around you.
By following certain tips and tricks, you can achieve full benefits from running. There some interesting tips listed below:
Our body is designed to maintain a balance. A sudden running session can shock the body, like abruptly shifting a car from first to fifth gear. Thus, it is better to have a 5-10 minute warm-up session before you start running. It can be a short walk to your favourite running spot or a set of light exercises to help warm up your body. Similarly, cooling down is necessary as well after an elongated running session.
A car can go from 0 to 100 km/h because it's designed to but we humans are not tuned to a top-notch performance every time. Of course, we can build stamina and through constant practice achieve results. A simple trick is to normalise 1-kilometre runs, your first 1-kilometre run might feel exhausting and heavy. Do this daily and there will be a time when you won’t have to catch your breath and you will find your rhythm. The goal doesn’t stop here, you need to push your limits.
Choosing the right shoes with comfortable soles and giving your foot area a cushion comfort is very important. Good sports shoes will help you run better and for longer hours. Whenever possible, run on soft surfaces like grass to reduce joint stress.
Our body communicates to us in many forms. In forms of pain, fatigue and frequent reparations. It is necessary to listen to your body and give adequate rest for it to repair and build your muscles.
If you haven’t made up your mind yet to take your first run tomorrow or restart it, the final thought is for you. A single running session might feel overwhelming at first, but when done with consistency it will be a unique experience every time. It will become a part of you making you realise it is necessary to take care of yourself and your body with the right food, exercise, running and a proper health insurance policy for current and future needs.
Ans: Running for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can offer significant health benefits. However, you can take it slow and do a 10-minute running session for the first few days.
Ans: Yes, running can help you reduce belly fat.
Ans: Yes, running is better than walking for overall health if your body can safely handle the higher intensity as it improves fitness and burns calories more efficiently.
Ans: Running typically won’t damage your knees unless you have a pre-existing condition or overtrain.
Ans: You can start noticing health improvements from running within 3 to 4 weeks of consistent practice.
Ans: The benefits of running daily are as follows, it is a good refresher, quick exercise, improves your stamina, keeps your heart healthy and lightens up your stress.
Ans: Yeah, running can burn belly fat.
