BENEFITS OF RUNNING

Not a fan of running? Chances are there that you might end up becoming one! Because you are about to discover the fantastic benefits of running and the tremendous amount of positivity it will bring into your life. Go ahead, read further to know!

Running is a type of gait, a method of terrestrial locomotion or rapidly moving on foot. It is a belief that our ancestors developed the ability to run to hunt animals millions of years ago, which gave us an evolutionary edge. Now, we see running as an exercise, a sport. It is a high impact activity involving the entire body. It has both the benefits of doing aerobic as well as anaerobic exercise.

For its benefits, apparently! Do you know that you can improve your physical and mental health, build strength, eliminate depression, boost your confidence level, and add years to your life expectancy by following a simple discipline of running regularly? You will be amazed to know. Moreover, running doesn't require much gear. It is easily accessible because you can run during summer, during winter, alone or with a friend, anytime, any day, anywhere as per your convenience.<br/><br/> When you become a runner, you allow yourself to reap its benefits to improve your life in every aspect you never thought you could. You need not run miles and miles every day to feel the difference; even running for about five to ten minutes each day will show a significant improvement in your life.

Running is an aerobic activity. It increases your heart rate and supplies oxygen throughout your body and to the muscles working out. It improves your cardiorespiratory function to compensate for the demand of energy required for running. It helps to keep your heart, lungs and circulatory system healthy, thereby reducing the risk of blood clots, high level of cholesterol, heart attacks, and strokes.

Running is considered an endurance or weight-bearing exercise, which means it can improve your muscle strength, bone health and tone your body. Running puts stress on your joints, and this can be very beneficial. Your joints will adapt and get stronger and healthier. The impact of force helps promote bone growth and bone mineral density. Your stamina level will increase, and you will feel more energetic to carry out physical tasks and lead an active lifestyle.

You can quickly burn extra calories because running requires a lot of your energy. It can be very beneficial in losing or maintaining a healthy weight. The calories you burn depends upon various factors such as the terrain you run, the weather, the effort you put in every step. Once you figure out what works for you, running can be a boon to your weight loss or weight management goals.

You will notice that your mood will get elevated after running, even if you run for five mins. Your brain will secrete mood-boosting hormones making you feel good. You might have heard of runner's high, which is nothing but the release of endorphins, a mood-boosting hormone responsible for inducing a state of euphoria. If you run regularly, these hormones' impact will significantly improve your functioning level both physically and mentally. It will change the way how your brain responds to physical and emotional stress. When you feel low or stressed, all you need to do is go for a run and come back feeling good. It can change your perception for the day ahead, give clarity of thoughts, allow you to face challenges in life confidently and you will not feel stressed anymore.

Running can improve your quality of sleep and make you fall asleep faster. Making running a regular habit will help you stay longer in your deep sleep cycle, helping in physical and mental recovery. A good night sleep will bring in opportunities to face a challenging day with more clarity and confidence. You will feel more productive on the work front and more affectionate to your loved ones and fellow humans. Sleep can improve our overall mental and physical well-being, a known fact. If you are still sceptical, why don't you try it yourself? But make sure you don't run before your bedtime because those feel-good hormones will want you to stay alert and awake.

Do you know that the sunshine vitamin (Vitamin D) can reduce depression? When you go out for a run, you allow the sun rays to work wonders on you. Vitamin D is not only for healthy bones but also to ward off depression. Being a regular runner, you improve your health, lead an active lifestyle, get quality sleep, have improved memory and learning capability, face challenges with confidence, become more productive and don't feel stressed out. Do you think depression can come anywhere near you? You are not so far from eliminating depression from your life. You are a step away, put on your shoes and kick depression out.

Running has a rejuvenating effect on your body. It is like a miracle drug. When you run, you are getting in touch with your body, mind and soul. You open yourself to numerous possibilities of repairing your mind and body by generating new cells, improving your heart health, promoting good circulation, improving oxygen and nutrient supply to reach every cell in your body. As a result, you will speed up removing toxins and helping cells regenerate, making you look and feel younger with radiant health.

To reap the benefits of running, equip yourself with the right gear before stepping out and avoid getting injured by doing it wrong. Wear comfortable clothes according to the weather, put on comfortable shoes, and have a plan. If you are beginning to run, take it slow and don't rush yourself running long distances at a stretch. Warm up before you start running, take regular breaks and wrap your running session with a cool-down exercise.<br/><br/> Running connects us to who we are. It connects us to mother nature. When you religiously follow the habit of running, you will get benefited in a multitude of ways. You will inspire others to live a healthy life too, who knows?

Happy Running!