Here are 7 Benefits of Running You Might Not Know
You may have started running to lose weight or improve your fitness. There could be another reason. Either way, congratulations on that and welcome to the club. Did you know there are other things that running provides.
Benefit 1 – Improved Sleep Quality
Running can improve your sleep quality. Exercise in general has been shown to improve sleep, and running is no exception. A good run can tire you out and help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. If you are anything like me I can’t wait to get to bed after a run. The bed feels extra comfy and my sleep quality is definitely improved as indicated by my watch. A point to note though is running too close to bedtime may have quite the opposite outcome so be careful. I struggle to settle if I run within two hours of my usual time to fall asleep – likely due to endorphin release and raised body temperature. As with most things the key here is consistency i.e. it won’t happen immediately even if you are extra tired. A good article here explains some of the science.
Benefit 2 – Immune System Boost
Running can boost your immune system. Moderate exercise like running has been shown to improve immune function and reduce the risk of getting sick. Initially, this may be from increased heart rate and blood flow but can quickly move on to acceleration of immune cell activity. There are many scientific studies that indicate the aerobic nature of running triggers a positive body response. James Turner (Ph.D) who lectures at the University of Bath in the U.K. has covered this in detail and is worth a read. Care must be taken to not compromise the immune system. Ensure that appropriate recovery post-activity is undertaken and that good nutrition is provided. Don’t let getting fit get you sick!
Benefit 3 – Improved Mental Health
Running can improve your mental health. Many people find that running helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also improve self-esteem and overall mood. Running completely overhauled my mental health when suffering from anxiety. Now if I feel tense, running is an outlet. It makes me feel good and I’ve won the day. In my times of anxiety, I had adrenaline pumping through me which I used to try to control by keeping still and calm. Quite an odd approach as the attempt at control only heightened the angst. I then started to walk quickly, which became running in order to release the pent-up energy. I found over time that I need to run less to make myself calm as opposed to doing it by choice to keep myself calm.
This link is to mentalhealth.org a UK based charity that focuses on mental health and promotes organised running events to encourage sufferers.
Benefit 4 – Improved Sex Life
Running can improve your sex life. Yes, you read that right! Exercise has been shown to improve sexual function and increase libido in both men and women. This may well be down to improved self-esteem (see point above) or that you look and feel better because of regular exercise. For men, there is evidence of increased testosterone. For women, according to this article, “Just 20 minutes of exercise could boost sexual arousal by 169%.” That is a very precise number isn’t it?
Benefit 5 – You Become Smarter
Running can make you smarter. Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise like running can improve cognitive function and even increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. As a runner, you are already clearly super smart – who knew it could make you even smarter? An interesting paper here which discusses not only hippocampus development but memory improvement.
Benefit 6 – Your Bones Become Stronger
Running can improve your bone health. Weight-bearing exercises like running can help to strengthen bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women. Now I’m not a postmenopausal woman but do have a familial history of osteoporosis. The NHS in the UK state “Weight-bearing exercise and resistance exercise are particularly important for improving bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis. High-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as running, skipping, dancing, aerobics, and even jumping up and down on the spot, are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints.”
Good enough for them – good enough for me.
Additional Benefit 7 – You Live Longer
Running can help you live longer. A number of studies have shown that people who engage in regular physical activity like running have a lower risk of premature death and a longer lifespan. The marathonhandbook.com has an impressive headline “The collective data from all 23,000 people indicated that any amount of running, however small, was associated with a whopping 30% decrease in risk of death from heart disease, and an impressive 23% lower risk of death from all cancers .” Further to this other studies indicate that just starting to run reduces your risk of death.
Before You Go!
7 Benefits of Running You Might Not Know are some additional bonuses that running provide. I hope that they give you added incentive to run.
If you enjoyed this you might enjoy some other articles – this is about some running books I found useful and tips to run faster.
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