Running can give you better sleep, improved immunity, longer life, and more.
1. Running adds years to your life
Many studies have shown that running increases our lifespan. It is better than any pill and it’s free. Studies show that people who run consistently have about a 25 to 30 percent lower rate of all-cause mortality. Runners add about three extra years to their life. This is because running leads to greater cardiovascular fitness, better body composition, lower cholesterol, great glucose and insulin control, and more.
Research at Ball State University found that a group of 75-year-old lifetime runners had biological profiles closer to 25-year-old students than to their non-exercising 75-year-old peers.
2. Running improves your sleep
Sleep is very important in life, especially for athletes. It is where our body repairs itself. There is evidence that shows exercise helps you fall asleep quicker and improves the quality of your sleep. This connection goes both ways, the more you exercise, the more quality sleep you need, and the worse your sleep is the less likely you are to exercise regularly.
3. Running is good for your joints and muscles
Back and knee pain has become a problem for many people. Most would consider running bad for the joints as it’s an impact sport, this however is not the case, running helps to keep the joints healthy. A study comparing 675 runners showed that their arthritis rate was below that of the general U.S. population.
Running also helps improve muscle strength which also reduces joint problems and improves all-around fitness.
4. Running helps you lose weight
Running burns more calories than most other activities due to the continuous movement of your entire body weight. This does not have to be fast running either, you get almost the same out of running fast or slow, it just takes more time. Running burns around 100 calories per mile or for a more accurate number, multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.75 to get your personal calorie burn per mile.
Losing weight isn’t the difficult part, it’s keeping the weight off that’s hard. Consistency as always is the key, an average of an hour of exercise a day along with a good diet will ensure the weight stays off. This work and consistency is very worthwhile as you’ll be left with a lower body weight and healthy quality of life.
5. Running improves your immunity
Scientist David Nieman has spent 40 years looking at the links between exercise and immunity, along with the effects of diet on runners. He’s found mostly good news and a few cautionary notes.
He’s found that consistent exercise improves immunity, ultra-endurance (longer events that exceed 6 hours in duration) efforts can decrease immunity until you are fully recovered and berries help your body stay strong and healthy.
Among advice on intensity and diet, they report evidence that running can improve the body’s surveillance against disease, lower inflammation, enhance gut microbiota composition, reduce the risk of upper respiratory infections and influenza, and improve antibody response.
Nieman proposes that regular exercise is good, while extreme exercise can temporarily lower your immunity. This has been confirmed by many other health investigators.
6. Running improves cognitive function
Running raises your heart rate and blood flow leading to oxygen-rich blood being pushed to the brain. It improves brain health which encourages the growth and survival of neurons in the brain. Even if you start running at mid-life or later, you gain protection from brain diseases linked to cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s.
7. Running reduces the risk of many cancers
A study with over 1.4 million adults showed that high-fitness exercisers had a lower risk of developing 26 different types of cancer than non-exercisers. Many researchers have come to the same conclusion. In addition, running is also helpful if you do develop cancer. In this case, regular exercise lowers side effects from different treatments while supporting you physically and emotionally. It also reduces mortality from cancer, and decreases the likelihood that you develop another type of cancer.
8. Running improves mental health
Many runners take up running for physical reasons but after a short time, they keep doing it for mental reasons. It helps them to feel better in their emotions, moods, and mental energy. The evidence for this is overwhelming.
Running helps to ease stress and anxiety, and treat depression. This helps to keep brain circulation healthy leading to better concentration, memory, and motivation.
9. Running improves glucose regulation and lowers the risk of diabetes
High blood glucose levels and diabetes are major problems in the Western world. They threaten to shorten healthy lifespans. Running and other exercises can substantially improve this outlook. Exercise can prevent or reduce type 2 diabetes and benefit those with type 1 diabetes.
In a study in 2019 following more than 19,000 people over 6 years, comparing rates of diabetes in runners and non-runners. The runners had a 72 percent lower rate of diabetes development.
10. Running lowers blood pressure
In 2016 the Global Burden of Disease published the results of an investigation into 388 health risks and their effects on our well-being. The number one risk was found to be high blood pressure. Running and other exercise is a proven way to reduce blood pressure. It was thought that steady, continuous workouts were the most effective in helping to lower blood pressure. Still, in 2019 a study showed that higher-intensity interval training is better for blood pressure.
Running and exercise also help to build our confidence and self-esteem.
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