Are you one of those people who plan to go on a morning walk or run but sleep in every day?
You’re missing out BIG TIME!!
Everyone knows exercise is a must to lead a happy, healthy life. But, few have time to go to the gym or want to buy expensive equipment to exercise at home. Right?
Then, what’s the solution?
In one word- RUN.
You don’t need to go to the gym, nor do you need any fancy or expensive equipment.
Especially, amidst this COVID pandemic, running is the best way to get your cardio in without burning a hole in your pocket.
A quick run around your neighborhood will help to revitalise your mood. Also, since most of the Indian population is deficient in Vitamin D, running out in the open is an excellent source of Vitamin D as well.
In these freezing cold months, running is a great way to heat your body up.
Now, I can go on and on about the benefits of running. But, for now let’s look at the top 5!
Benefits of running:
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Contrary to what people may think, running actually seems to improve knee health.
Running has advantages in promoting nutrition penetrating into the cartilage as well as squeezing out the metabolic substance, such as water. Running often helps patients with mild knee pain as it increases the muscle strength and keeps the BMI in check, in turn reducing the load on the knee joints. It is only running with poor form that can cause damage to the knees.
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Plus, running is a great way to burn calories and shed those extra pounds.
This point is pretty self-explanatory. Eh?
Doing any exercise regularly will help you lose weight, but only a few types of exercise will continue to burn calories even after you finish working out.
High-intensity types of running like hill repeats and interval runs can continue to burn calories up to 48 hours after you work out.
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Running is a form of aerobic exercise. It can reduce stress, improve heart health, and even alleviate symptoms of depression.
Since it improves aerobic fitness, running is a great way to help improve cardiovascular health.
According to a study in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, spending 30 mins on a treadmill or running outdoors is enough to lift the mood of someone suffering from a severe depressive disorder.
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Running can improve your mind at any age and fight age-related cognitive decline.
Research on the cognitive-boosting effect of aerobic exercise found that for children, running improved working memory and focus. For young adults, working memory saw a similar boost.
For older adults, this sort of activity provides a long list of cognitive benefits, like working memory and focus.
Researchers think this may be because aerobic exercise increases the levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, and causes the brain to generate new neurons.
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Running helps young people sleep better, improves their mood, and boosts their ability to focus.
People who run are found to sleep better. They also show signs of improved psychological functioning and focus better during the day compared to peers who don’t run.
To start reaping the benefits associated with running, run at a moderate pace for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for three weeks. The same benefits apply to runners of any age.
Apart from these top 5, running also has a myriad of other benefits. It improves your posture and boosts your immunity. A must during this pandemic!
How to Get Started?
There are many items available for running, but most beginners can get by on the bare minimum.
This includes good running shoes, a comfortable top, a water bottle, and running shorts, tights, or comfortable pants.
It is highly recommended for women to wear a sports bra while running to reduce discomfort.
To sum up
If you’re short on time, don’t want to spend too much money yet want to live a long, healthy life, you must: Start running.
If you start running daily, your health problems will start running too. Away from you of course.
Do you think you’re too old to run?
Let me tell you about Fauja Singh. He was the oldest marathon finisher who finished his last race at the age of 101!