We have previously covered the mental health benefits of running, but there are also many amazing physical benefits of running. Running is not just a form of exercise; it’s a fundamental human activity that offers a multitude of physical benefits. 

Have you ever felt easily tired or out of breath from everyday chores or activities? Well, running can help you overcome that and help you in many more ways. From improving cardiovascular health to improving bone density, running is a versatile and accessible way to boost overall fitness. With every step you take, you bring yourself close to a newer, better you. 

In this post, we will be exploring how running provides many physical benefits that your body will thank you for! 

1. Physical activity helps in losing weight or keeping weight intact

Diet and physical exercise play a major role in weight management. In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you eat per day. Running is one of the best ways to burn calories, meaning it would help you lose weight. 

It varies from person to person, but 30 minutes a day for 5 days of the week for a person who eats 2000 calories a day would be optimal in losing or keeping your weight stable. Make sure you plan your diet so that you how many calories you are eating to be physically active. Also, make sure that your diet is healthy to achieve your weight goals. 

An unhealthy diet can sometimes negate your running workout completely. It is important to avoid fast food or ones that have a lot of sugar in them after running.

2. Reduce the risk of diseases 

Heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of death in the U.S. These causes of death have higher likelihood of happening for someone with low physical activity. Luckily, aerobic exercises such as running would offer a healthy way of preventing these common diseases.  

As stated earlier, the weight that running aids in losing can help you lower or manage your weight. This can also aid in lowering diseases, as many diseases have a higher chance of being contracted when someone does not exercise and burn calories. 

This is because running releases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the beneficial cholesterol that decreases unhealthy triglycerides/fats in your system. This aids in lowering your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Running also helps prevent type 2 Diabetes, which usually results from a lack of HDL, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar (and various other factors). 

Running can also help you prevent:  

• High blood pressure 
• Depression or Anxiety
• Physical disabilities such as Arthritis
• Bladder, breast, colon, lung, stomach, and various other cancers

3. Improve your physical energy

You may feel that you are feeling breathless when you are doing various chores throughout the day. Running helps counter this physically as it helps increase the stamina and strength of your muscles. Remember that your heart and lungs are muscles, and they can be improved through exercise! 

Running especially helps send oxygen to your various tissues and helps the cardiovascular system to function efficiently. As a result, you will have much more energy to do your everyday activities. 

Once you improve your heart strength through running, it takes less time to pump blood (which carries oxygen) to your entire body. With your lungs functioning more effectively and helps you breathe more efficiently.

If you want to build high reserves of energy, then try including more easy runs into your run workouts. These easy runs help you build your running endurance. This not only allows you to run for longer periods of time, it helps enhance your ability to do various tasks for a longer period of time.

4. Live longer 

A person is much more likely to live longer if they do physical activity such as running. A study from the CDC found that the risk of early death for adults under 60 leveled off at about 8000 to 10000 steps per day. 

This is because running helps keep your heart and lungs healthy and improves your overall quantity and quality of life. Even 10 minutes more a day can add an extra day to your life. 

If you want to add some years to your life, then running is the way to go! Not only does running improve your quality of life by improving your energy and lowering your chance of contracting various diseases, but it improves your quantity of life as well. This makes running a very effective exercise. 

5. Improve your bone health 

Running creates favorable metabolic activity in your bones. It helps in increasing the number of bone-building hormones and enzymes in your bones such as Calcitonin and Parathyroid Hormone (PTH). 

Also, when you are running in sunlight you can get the daily recommended Vitamin D (30 minutes of running in sunlight), which is also helpful for your body to build bones. I would recommend running in the early morning at a time when the sun is out. This will ensure that the sun is not too hot and so that that sun can provide you with the necessary amount of Vitamin D.

This is beneficial as many people have a Vitamin D deficiency and may also have weaker bones due to this. Higher bone density is beneficial for keeping you from getting injured and reducing the risk of possibly breaking your bones as you age. This may even possibly help you live longer as some studies reveal that broken bones can decrease life expectancy, which running prevents.

However, you should make sure to wear sunscreen before running in the sun to ensure you do not get sunburned. Sunburns could increase the chances of skin cancer, which is why it is important to avoid the UV rays that the sun emits. 

6. Increase physical immunity

 The rise in body temperature (similar to having a fever, but much less painful) during and after running or another exercise can help in preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. 

Also, running can get rid of bacteria or viruses in the airways of your nose to reduce your chances of getting a cold. This can help your body prevent the spread of body infections or get rid of it completely, allowing you to stay healthy. As a result, running can prevent or at least help you lower your chances of getting the flu or COVID-19. 

Conclusion

Like you read earlier, running has many amazing benefits for you physically. This makes running one of the most beneficial aerobic exercises for people. Running offers you an amazing experience before, during, and after, making it the perfect cardiovascular exercise. Even running for short amounts every day can help you achieve physical benefits. The next time you are on a run, make sure to be grateful of the many physical benefits that running offers your body! Your body will definitely thank you for these benefits in the long run.