Six running health benefits you should know

Only a small percent of the Filipino population are into running and for bias (often misconstrued) reasons. Most view running as an activity that is required only to those who want to lose weight or who are athletes. However, most adept and elite runners enjoy health benefits that comes with their active lifestyle.

Below are the less-known six running health benefits that you can gain from doing it at least five minutes to half an hour a day:

Extends lifespan by three years

If you want to live longer, running is one of the best ways to ensure you see your golden senior citizen days. According to a 2014 study by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, running or any other form of rigorous exercise helps you have a healthier heart and in turn adds up an average of three years to a person’s lifespan. The research suggested that those who want this kind of health benefit should perform a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute run on a regular basis.

(Fauja Singh, oldest male marathoner now 104 years old)

Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease

Heart related disease remains to be one of the top cause of death in the Philippines. A 2008 survey from the National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that five out of 10 Filipinos died of cardiovascular disease. Living a healthy lifestyle such as eating a balance diet and regular exercise can prevent this. Running is good for the heart because it is a simple anaerobic exercise that strengthens the heart. By increasing our heart rate through running, or other physical activities, the heart also becomes more efficient in pumping blood and delivering oxygen. By pumping more blood, our blood vessels also retain elasticity. Another part of your body that gets stronger when you run is your lungs.

Better brain performance

Increasing the heart rate and flow of oxygen-rich blood in our body allows better brain performance. This is supported by a 2013 study by the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience which found out that short term aerobic exercise, such as running, improves a certain degree of mental fitness including cognition. Running is also suited to sedentary adults which are susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease. Increasing the blood flow in the hippocampus (which is the region that is mostly affected by Alzheimer’s) decreases the chance of you acquiring this disease.

Strengthens your bones

As we grow older our bones and other muscles also get weaker. One way to slow down this effect is through regular exercise. Running or jumping may be stressful at first, but it has more pros than cons. Because of the stress your bones (particularly on your feet and legs) feel when running, the body reacts by sending osteoblasts to the surface of the bone. This allows bone development and strengthening as it begins to remodel to adapt to future bone stress.

Lower chances of high blood pressure

Several studies pointed out that regular exercise (running included) reduces blood pressure, thus helping control hypertension or high blood pressure. By performing semi-intense to intense physical activities, we lower bad cholesterol in our body. This prevents heart attacks and strokes because it helps decreases the chances of unhealthy cholesterol to build up in our arteries. One reason why many choose running as their recreational sport is because of its simplicity of movement and requires fewer equipment.

Boosts your mood through the day

There is a reason why they call weekend running events as fun runs. It’s not just about getting fun, but there is a medical reason behind why after a leisurely run you feel more upbeat and a more postitive mood. This is what is called as the “runner’s high” or that sense of accomplishment you get when you’ve done a satisfactory running routine. The Journal of Experimental Biology suspects that the increase of endocannabinoids, a chemical compound that signal pleasure, is released during intense endurance activity. Finishing a good run (whether it is on a race day or not) is more than enough to lift you up throughout the day and keeps your energy high. This coming from my own experience.

There are other health benefits you can get from running, but we listed down these six as they prove to be the ones needed in our modern day society when most people are often glued on their TV and computers and have very little physical activities. Do you know other health benefits of running? Write down on the comments how running affected your health or life.