The benefits of running are numerous. Running is a sport that is accessible to nearly everyone and can be done almost any time day or night, almost any place in the world. Whether you are at home or traveling on the go, there is little equipment required beyond a decent pair of running shoes, and the only other requirement is enough space, indoors or out, to move your body. Running is a social sport that is often times best shared with family and friends, as well as one’s community as a whole, through such shared community enriching events as marathons and fundraising celebrations.
Perhaps among the top benefits of running, though, is the overall physical exercise we experience, and the many improvements to our bodies’ general physical and emotional health that this exercise brings. Running gets the blood and oxygen flowing throughout our bodies, and strengthens our heart’s muscles as it gets a workout of its own, pumping away while we exercise. This increased blood and oxygen flow also helps power our immune systems and burns away calories and cholesterol that have made their home in our body tissue, helping us to lose weight and feel better about ourselves and our bodies. Through the exercise of running we also relieve stress and work through the events and happenings of our day to eliminate emotions that cloud our mind and spirit. Taking these considerations into account, we begin to see that the top benefits of running are overall general improvements in our exercise practices and our physical and mental fitness.
Running is a highly vigorous exercise, and it is because of this that runners enjoy the many physical health benefits we have mentioned. Our hearts and lungs are worked beyond their normal resting state and conditioned to greater efficiency and effectiveness in powering our body. Our immune system is likewise conditioned for greater activity, responsiveness and strength in combating disease, toxins and germs that would otherwise have greater ability to overtake us. Running encourages us to break through our perceived limits of endurance and stamina, bringing us to new levels of ability in our daily exercises. As we run, we build our metabolism and our bodies burn calories, which, when combined with a healthy and balanced diet, will help us to lose weight and build our muscles.
The mental and emotional, psychological benefits of running are significant, too. Studies consistently show that people who are focused on keeping their bodies fit and in shape with physical exercise have relatively lower levels of stress and negative thought patterns and feelings, while gaining increased happiness and energy. As a stress reliever, running draws our minds out of the worries of daily life and focuses us on achievement of our goals beyond today, toward a better, optimistic future. When we overcome the challenges presented by our fitness running exercises, we gain a sense of accomplishment and affirmation that we can reach whatever goals we set our minds to.
Running is a social event that is often practiced outdoors, on the streets of our neighborhoods, through the parks of our cities, amongst the people and places of our communities. Most places offer some kind of running event throughout the year such as a 5K or 10K race, a marathon, or some other fundraising running event, where we can meet new people and join in a celebration of fitness and exercise with other like-minded people. These social benefits of running help keep us motivated and ready to work toward our next goalpost of fitness achievement.
All of these benefits of running can be summed up in two simple, broad terms: fitness, and exercise!