4 Ways Running Improves Your Health

By late March most Midwesterners are looking for any excuse to get outdoors. With increasing temperatures, an extra hour of sunshine (on most days), and calmer climates, now is a great time to think about running your first race! 

Whether you are a seasoned runner covering many miles, or a running novice, Springtime races are a great way to break that cabin fever, while breaking a sweat!

At WellNow Urgent Care we like to encourage our community members to participate in healthy lifestyles, and though running may not be for all, all can benefit from it!

Here are four science-backed ways running improves your health

• Running or walking for 30 minutes instantly lifts your mood.
  
  

• Running helps you lose or maintain weight, and burn calories. Consistent exercise will increase caloric burn even after you stop exercising.  Scientists call this EPOC, which stands for excess post oxygen consumption.  So just 30 minutes of running or walking will help your body burn calories even when after you stop moving, that’s what we call a “Body-Bonus”!
  
  

• Running will keep you mentally agile, even as you age! A study published in 2013 in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review ¹ concluded that the evidence is insurmountable that exercise helps defeat age-related mental decline, mainly functions like task switching, selective attention, and memory.
  
  

• And the best way running and exercise improves your health is by helping you live longer. The New York Times published an article in 2017 concluding that just one hour of running may add seven hours to your life and that regular runners tend to live on average three years longer than nonrunners.  The study went on to add no other form of exercise that researchers looked at showed comparable impacts on life span.
  
  

So why not lace up those running shoes, hit the road, and smile knowing you are helping yourself in more ways than one.

We hope to see you at the Finish Line!

Source: ¹ Guiney, H. & Machado, L. Psychon Bull Rev (2013) 20: 73. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-012-0345-4