Top 10 Reasons to Start Running

Running as an activity is so basic – anyone can pick it up as a sport and just take it at their own pace, building up their fitness as they go along, and that’s exactly why we wanted to highlight some of the benefits that you can gain from running. We’ve talked a lot about running on the Sun & Sand Sports Blog, so to get you started, find out how to choose the right running shoe for you.

Healthier Mind

It’s a fact: running actually makes you happier because of the endorphins that it generates and sends streaming through your body post-exercise. Going beyond just the “runner’s high”, running can instantly lift the mood of someone suffering from the blues.

Healthier Heart

Running helps to pump blood faster to your heart and can also slash your risk of cardiovascular diseases by up to 45 percent according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Better Breathing

Running is the most natural way of increasing the body-oxygen ratio. The increased level of oxygen in return provides your body with improved physical health along with a decreased risk of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis and other heart diseases.

Strong Immunity

Running has some amazing benefits in terms of general resistance to infection and external health factors. A positive immunity change takes place within your body with even a basic level of running and people who run at a moderate level will experience fewer days of sickness from the common cold and other Upper Respiratory Tract Infections.

Weight Loss

Running works even when you’re at rest because it is a high-intensity exercise that can stimulate more “afterburn” than many other forms of exercise. This is because your resting energy expenditure remains elevated even after you’ve completed your run, which can improve the results of weight loss goals.

Toning Up

Running uses all major leg and lower body muscle groups: the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. These muscles work together simultaneously so that the running motion can happen relatively smoothly. As all the muscles work together, and as you continue your run, these muscles will develop and become stronger over time.

Decreases Blood Pressure

Regular running can make your heart stronger, and a stronger heart will pump more blood with less effort – and when your heart works less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, actively lowering your blood pressure.

Increases Bone Density

Each stride you take whilst running creates stress on your bones – and since the bone is a living tissue, your body can sense the additional stress and as a precaution it activates a series of reactions that strengthen the bone to prevent any injury to that bone tissue.

Relieves Stress

Stress can cause quite a number of health and mood disorders in a person; from diminishing appetite to ruining the quality of sleep, stress is a force that disrupts the proper flow of your bodily systems. Through running, your body exerts excess energy and hormones that help to reduce your chances of developing tension and headaches – giving you a more relaxed feel during and after your workouts.

Increases Confidence

Running helps to develop not only physical attributes but also mental ones. As you run more, it can lift your mood, make you look and feel better, and all the while making you stronger. As such physical changes take place within your body, your confidence multiplies as you feel the sense of accomplishment with every stride you take as you see yourself getting fitter and stronger each day.

As you can see, running as a sport is incredibly beneficial to your body, mind and soul, and if you cannot handle long runs, then just go on shorter, more manageable runs, as even those can leave you feeling more energized, focused and better able to enjoy all that life has to offer. Sign up to the Sun & Sand Sports newsletter below to stay updated on all of the current trends in sports, fitness and wellness.

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