Running is one of the best types of exercise and is very good for your health. It provides a great cardiovascular workout, and it also strengthens your muscles. Regular jogging not only improves cardiovascular fitness, it has also been shown to have other health benefits, including mental health benefits such as helping to manage depression and anxiety. Most importantly for many people, running is a good way to lose weight and generally get fitter.
Jogging for stronger bones and muscles
Jogging will strengthen the muscles and bone density of your legs, hips and back. Long distance runners have very strong legs, even though they often look very thin and weak. Running does not produce bulky muscles, like weight training or even circuit training does, but it does increase leg strength. Also, the constant impact caused during running can increase bone density, so long as you follow a healthy diet.
Running improves sleep
Jogging makes you sleep better. Also, if you exercise well, sleep comes much easier. One of the most important factors for improving fitness after exercise and diet is getting adequate sleep.
Running and mental health improvements
Running can counteract stress and depression. It increases the capacity to work and lead an active life. The fitter you are, the more active you can be. There are so many more opportunities available to people who are healthier and fitter.
Learning to enjoy running
Running can give you both physical and mental joy, so long you do not exhaust yourself! When jogging is done correctly, you will actually feel less tired after you have finished a tour than before you began. You may even start to enjoy the feelings in your muscles during the jogging and afterwards.
Running is a great way of getting away from your usual daily environment. Running outside is often much more pleasurable than exercising in a gym. Even running in the rain can be refreshing and pleasurable. While running some people also get an euphoric mental feeling – a “runners high”!
Benefits of Pilates for Runners
We recommend Pilates for runners to help:
- Increasing core strength and correcting postural imbalances
- Increasing balance in the muscles of the back and hips
- Reduce the risk of injury
- Assist with breath control
Many runners feel their running activities alone provide them with a very rounded exercise program. However, while running is great cardiovascular work, it can lead to imbalances in the body. Those imbalances must be addressed in order to continue the activity in a healthy and beneficial way. Pilates is an excellent complement to any runner’s routine as it can help strengthen muscles that are not used specifically for running.
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