Running: What It Is, Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better

                  Running: What It Is, Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better 

NOTE:-  Running has been increasingly popular for decades. That’s not surprising considering its exercise brags: It requires little equipment, just a pair of running shoes. It’s a workout you can do on your own time and take with you if you’re away from home (no gym or class times to worry about). It’s efficient. And it can be great for boosting cardiovascular fitness.

 a guidecWhether you’re in it for the heart health benefits, for the onvenience, or to one day slay a big 26.2-mile marathon, here’s to get you started. 

WHAT IS RUNNING ?

What Is Running?

Let’s start at the beginning. Running is the action or movement of propelling yourself forward rapidly on foot, according to Amy Morris, a certified running coach and head of personal training at CrossTown Fitness, a Chicago-based gym.

It’s different from walking because when you walk, one foot is always on the ground. But with running, there’s a moment when both feet are off the ground. That’s what makes running a high-impact activity.

Depending on the type of running you’re doing, it can be aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, or a combination of both. Aerobic and anaerobic exercise are the two subtypes of cardiovascular exercise. During aerobic exercise, oxygen intake and heart rate stay consistent over a period of time, whereas anaerobic exercise involves quick bursts of energy performed at your highest level of effort for a short time.

Running is aerobic if you’re keeping your pace and energy expenditure fairly consistent. Think distance running and endurance training. The body uses oxygen to create the energy needed to keep you going, Morris explains. These workouts are traditionally long runs, easy pace runs, and recovery runs, and they should make up the majority of a runner’s weekly mileage.

Think of anaerobic running as sprints and other types of speed work. “With anaerobic running, your body is able to perform at high intensity using the stored energy in your muscles without oxygen, and this usually lasts anywhere from less than six seconds to up to two minutes,” Morris says. 

Morris suggests that the average adult spends a minimum of 16 to 24 weeks to build a proper base for efficient aerobic running. After that, anaerobic running can help improve performance, she says, especially in terms of speed

   

                      The Health Benefits of Running

The Health Benefits of Running

Running can deliver a host of both physical and mental health benefits (as can most types of exercise, of course). Here a few to know about that have specific links to running:

🔴Boosted Mood and Energy Levels A study published in 2018 found that
•  running for as little as 15 minutes can improve mood and energy levels, and it had more of an effect for participants than meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery.

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• Boosted Memory, Focus, and Task-Switching Because running causes biochemical substances called endocannabinoids to be released in the bloodstream and into the brain, it optimizes brain function.

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• Better Respiratory Function Along with mental health benefits, running is linked to improved cardiovascular and respiratory function because each of those systems is getting more oxygen and better blood flow, says Bryant Walrod, MD, sports medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
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Improved Cardiovascular Health A research review published in 2020 found that increased rates of participation in running, regardless of how frequently you run, show lower risk of cardiovascular-related mortality.
More Muscle Strength Although running isn’t necessarily considered a strength workout, Morris says muscles in your lower body, like your hamstrings, glutes, and quads, definitely do get stronger with running (given that they have to fire up in order to keep you stabilized).

“Just getting started with a 10-minute run a few times a week can lead to health benefits,” he adds. “Increasing that amount slowly, by about 10 percent per week, can help ramp up the advantages in a meaningful way, without increasing injury risk.”