Valentin Bosioc
I know, we all have a love/hate relationship with jogging or running, right? This kind of performance is not for everybody…
Never been a fan of running? We’re about to change your mind. Put one foot in front of the other and start chasing these awesome benefits of running. As simple as running may be, it certainly isn’t easy. Especially when you’re a beginner.
You have to start where you are, not where you think you should be! If you go further or faster than you’re ready for, your body can’t adapt quickly enough and you’ll get injured. That’s why we’ve developed a 9 benefits article to help you understand more!
Are You Ready? This plan is for anyone who has yet to exercise at all. It involves only walking, to give your bones, muscles, tendons and fitness the base they need to progress to running without injury.
Running Is Good for Your Heart
Why:
Running is the king of cardio. Running even five to 10 minutes a day, at slow speeds (how does a nice 12-minute mile sound to you?) is associated with a drastically reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Every time you run, you decrease your resting heart rate, so your heart doesn’t need to work as hard.
Runner’s High Is Real
When you run, your brain pumps out two powerful feel-good chemicals, endorphins and endocannabinoidse. Chemically, the endocannabinoids your body produces during a run aren’t all that different from mood-altering chemical, THC.
Running Strengthens Your Joints
Why:
Runners are half as likely to suffer from knee osteoarthritis compared with walkers. Surprised? Every time you pound the pavement, you stress your bones and cartilage, just like your muscles, causing them to spring back stronger. Low-impact exercises like walking, or even spinning or swimming, don’t have that same bone-building benefit.
SEE ALSO: Perform These Moves To Achieve Banging Body And Crazy Awesome Thighs
Running Torches Serious Calories
Why:
Running requires a lot of fuel (aka calories). In fact, the average 150-pound person will burn about 12.2 calories per minute running a 10-minute miles. Not too shabby, eh? And that’s on flat terrain. Head outside where wind and hills up your effort and you can expect to burn even more.
Running Is a Killer Leg Workout
Why:
Your body’s biggest muscles are all in your legs, and running benefits all of them: your inner and outer thighs, your gluteus maximus (get ready to turn some heads with your backside!), quads, hamstrings, and calves. It’s like a dozen leg workouts in one.
