Health Benefits of Running

Being able to run...fast has been the key to our survival. It is this requirement - to be able to escape from predator, that boosted the evolutionary change that enabled human beings to stand erect. Significance of running for our survival still holds ground. However, in today's fast paced life where we depend a lot on processed and ready to eat foods, running assumes a whole new meaning. Running burns more calories than most other forms of exercise. This means that workout of high intensity can be done in less time, i.e making the maximum from the least amount of time spent exercising. Weight loss, seems to be the most obvious positive outcome of running. However there are other long term benefits you can get from running. Let us a take a look at how we can benefit from 30 minutes of running daily!

Significant Health Benefits of Running

Weight Loss: Running is a very popular form of exercise for losing weight. It is difficult to give the exact number of calories burned while running as that depends upon one's weight, speed at which one is running and the distance covered. Nevertheless it is a known fact that running to burn fat is more effective than any other form of cardiovascular exercises.

Cardiovascular Health: Running increases the requirement of energy by the cells of our body which results in greater demand for oxygen and nutrients. To meet this need the heart starts pumping blood at a faster rate than normal. Blood vessels dilate to facilitate transport of gases and nutrients throughout the body. This regular dilating and coming back to its normal size improves elasticity of arteries that reduces the risk of heart attacks and developing high blood pressure. Increased heart rate results in better supply of blood to different parts of the body and elimination of waste with increased efficiency. As the cardiovascular health improves, all other systems of the body also receive a boost.

Improved Bone and Muscle Health: A continuous demand on the bones and muscles of the body is created due to regular running. Health benefits on these tissues come from the fact that as bones and muscles respond to meet these demands, they grow stronger. Due to this individuals who run regularly are less prone to suffer from effects of old age on these tissues. One of the most significant health benefits for women is that running fights the onset of osteoporosis due to old age.

Psychological Benefits: Running also has psychological benefits. Most people report feeling good and mentally relaxed after running. This is due to the release of the feel good hormone, endorphins. These hormones that keep circulating in the body for quite sometime after a good run, impart a sense of euphoria in a runner. This feeling is most commonly referred to as the 'runner's high'. Other than improving one's mood, running also enables one to cope better with stress. This is because while one runs, he is focused on the job at hand and does not think about other responsibilities or problems. This lowers one's stress levels. Running is physically strenuous. Hence when one accomplishes covering a certain distance set by him, he feels a sense of achievement which boosts one's morale.

Other Health Benefits

• Running is beneficial for those suffering from cancer as it improves their health.
• Another health benefit of running daily is that it increases capacity of lungs.
• Other than helping to keep one's weight in control, running increases the level of HDL or good cholesterol in the body.
• This form of exercise increases the number of lymphocytes in the body which in turn strengthens the immune system.
• Regular running also adds glow to one's skin and makes the skin look young and healthy.

Those who want to make use of the equipment in a gym and work on specific parts of the body also consider running on the treadmill instead of doing so outdoors. For such people there is good news. Current research shows that benefits of running on treadmill vary only slightly than running outdoors. One tends to spend a little less amount of calories while running on the treadmill as compared to when running out in the open. However, running on treadmill reduces the risk of suffering from effects of running on hard and uneven roads. For best results, always set your treadmill at a 1% elevation.

To make the most of the numerous health benefits it is important to do warm up exercises for running. Also there are possibilities of hurting oneself while running. It is important to use proper gear and know proper running technique.

The health benefits of running have been known for long. However, the exercise gains a greater significance in today's world due to the sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits that we have.