Heart Healthy: 7 Massive Benefits of Taking a Daily Run

Heart Healthy: 7 Massive Benefits of Taking a Daily Run : Running is the type of exercise that divides opinion. Some people love it, some people hate it, while others love to hate it. The fact is, running is not everyone’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t take away from its incredible benefits.

To add to this, running is completely free, you don’t need any special skills to do it, and you only need 30-minutes! Here’s how you can benefit from adding a daily run to your life.

Boost Your Mood With a Daily Run

They don’t call it a ”runner’s high” for nothing. There are very few exercises that can make you feel better than a run. While running can be challenging for some, it’s a great way to boost your mood, clear your mind, and feel a sense of accomplishment.

As little as 10-minutes of aerobic exercise releases the body’s ”feel good” hormone, serotonin, as well as endorphins. The combination of the two can whip you out of a bad mood in seconds. This can help to decrease stress levels, anxiety, and amp up your energy levels.

For more on how to improve your running technique, or how to love running, visit Run All The Way.
Improve Your Quality of Sleep

Exercise in any form is known for its sleep-boosting qualities. But running is an exercise that can take your sleep to a whole new level. Just 30-minutes of running every day will help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep soundly. Essentially, you will spend more time in deep sleep stages which makes for the best quality sleep there is. This type of sleep is also essential for your body’s recovery and energy levels.

Remember this: don’t plan a run close to your bedtime. Due to the release of hormones and endorphins, you could feel too energized and struggle to fall asleep. Try to complete your run a few hours before you call it a night.
Improve Your Physique and Strength

Due to the fact that running is a cardiovascular exercise, it’s good for burning fat. Running is a good way to move stubborn bits of fat you’d like to lose, and keep it off.

Not only this, but running helps to build muscle in many different areas of the body, including the calves, thighs, glutes, abdominals, and arms. Your cardiovascular fitness will also improve. This reduces fatigue during the day and helps you to keep up in your day-to-day life.
Reduce Your Risk of Disease

By running just 30-minutes, 5-times a week, you can reduce your risk of developing a multitude of diseases later in life. Just some of these include diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s.

This is because of the many physical, mental, and even emotional benefits of running. Running maintains your health by maintaining your weight. It keeps your blood pressure and blood sugar levels stable. It helps to reduce stress, rids toxins from the body, improves your confidence, and overall state-of-mind.

Ultimately, this helps you to live a longer, happier, and more mobile life.
Maintain the Health of Your Joints

Contrary to popular belief, running is not actually bad for your joints. It all depends on your running technique and whether you are predisposed to joint troubles or have a family history of pain.

Running is, in fact, beneficial to your joints. Movement is the best way to keep your joints healthy. It keeps them lubricated, supple and nourished. Regular stints of running can help to keep the joints in a healthy, mobile condition. However, it’s important to invest in a good quality pair of running shoes and practice healthy running habits.
It Does Wonders For Your Mental Health

Whether you’re feeling down or anxious, stressed out, irritable, or in a mental fog, running is an excellent way of re-booting the mind. In fact, the mental clarity offered by running is a top motivator for many people.

Running requires you to focus on your breathing, your cadence, your pace, and numerous other obstacles in your path. In its own way, running is a mental escape that allows you to forget about what’s on your mind, even if it’s only for 30-minutes!\
Boost Your Exercise Recovery

The better you get at running, the better you can become at many other exercises. This is because running is not just a lower body workout — it engages several different muscle groups. The more you run, the quicker and more efficiently your body learns to recover, which benefits any other exercise you do.

You will find yourself building up to longer distances and recovering faster due to a boost in cardiovascular capacity. Overall, this benefits every other physical activity in your day-to-day life.

Should You Run Every Day?

It’s not really necessary to run every single day. What’s important to remember is that rest and recovery are just as crucial as the exercise you get from running. Ideally, you should listen to your body and what it wants.

If your body is telling you it’s tired and a little worn out, but you ignore it, this could lead to overuse injury. It’s often a result of too much physical activity and not allowing your body to adjust. Injuries are also caused by poor running form and poor quality running shoes.

So, if you’re going to run every day, here are a few tips:

Invest in high-quality running gear, especially shoes — make sure to replace them when needed
Increase the time and length of your runs gradually, each week
Always warm-up and stretch after each run
Focus on form over distance in your running — if you push too hard, this can jeopardize your form and cause injury

Keep this in mind, too: never ever push through any form of pain. If you feel a tweak in your knee, back, ankle, etc., don’t continue to run. Rather walk it off, and follow the RICE plan: rest, ice, compression, elevation!

Get Your Daily Dose of Health and Fitness

A daily run can do wonders for your health overall, but remember the importance of rest and recovery too. When it comes to starting any new form of exercise, the hardest part is beginning. Push through your excuses and you could change your life!

Looking for more motivational content on women’s health and wellbeing, diet and nutrition, or love and sex? Check out this site for more and make your health a top priority.