Running is healthy!

Do you to be motivated to start running or maybe convince someone else to start? Then you have ended up in the right place, as in this article we have listed the top 5 health benefits of running.

1. Staying in Shape

Most people take on running as a means to lose weight. If you want to get as much as possible out of your workout you should use a running to lose weight program. Running burns calories, the healthier you eat the faster you will lose the weight. Even after you are at your normal weight, you can continue your running routine to maintain a nice figure. Running also helps tone various muscles in your body, thus giving you an excellent physique.

2. Prevent Heart Disease

Today, having a healthy heart is more difficult to accomplish than ever before. Lack of exercise and bad eating habits only lead to health issues such as heart disease. Most people know that exercising reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. But exactly how does running help prevent these issues? Getting a daily cardio-workout such as running makes the arteries in the heart more elastic. This means that the heart will not have to work as hard pumping blood throughout the body. This is good news for people suffering from hypertension. The heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels may be reduced and kept at normal ranges with regular running.

3. Maintain Healthy Muscles and Bones

Poor bone and muscle health can be a consequence of inactivity. Failure to provide your bones and muscles with the needed exercise to stay fit will cause them to become weak. Running enables the body to increase bone density and strengthen muscles. This form of exercise enables the body to form new bone tissue. For this reason, running is especially beneficial to maintaining physical health as we age. Regular running can ultimately help prevent bone-related disease such as osteoporosis.

4. Fight Insomnia

Another issue most people are faced with today is not getting sufficient sleep. Getting adequate rest is extremely important for our health, yet only a few people truly get the needed sleep. Insomnia affects the body in so many different aspects. People with the condition often experience depression, body aches, and susceptibility to infections. Running allows your body to sleep better and longer periods.

5. Improve Mental Health

How does running help with mental health? Running produces endorphins in your body, which cause a feeling of well-being. People that run on a regular basis report that they feel more optimistic. This is sometimes called a “runners high” because the effect can sometimes be instantly. Self-esteem and happiness is also improved with regular running. This is mostly due to the fact that runners maintain physical health and are content with their appearance.


Tips for Running More Efficiently

• Stretch – It is crucial to stretch before beginning a running routine.
Stretching allows the body to get rid of lactic acid. This is the substance
that is responsible for causing pain in your body after working out.

• Run Quietly – Taking lighter steps will automatically increase your speed and
efficiency. You’ll be running faster without even noticing it!

• Breathe Correctly – Keep a steady breathing rhythm throughout the workout.
Breathing should be done with the diaphragm and not the chest. While there exists exercises to breath better, it will be the best for most people to just let the body do it automatically.

• Relax – Tension only decreases exercise efficiency; make sure to let your arms,
shoulders, and mouth relax.

• Run with Proper Posture – Do not slouch or bend the knees too much. Stand up
tall and try to extend your legs more. This will help build strength in
your body’s core.

The health benefits of running truly go beyond just giving you good looks. It helps prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, insomnia, and many other health issues. Other conditions that can be prevented with regular running include; diabetes, sexual impotence, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. Although running is not 100% guaranteed to prevent you from developing certain health issues, there is nothing to lose. After all, you’ll be working to maintain your body figure and will also gain good health with no extra effort given.

If you’re looking to get fit then running is one of the best exercises you could do. It works every muscle in your body, toning your physique whilst giving you a great cardiovascular workout, but to truly maximize your performance you need to ensure you’re eating the right foods.

Athletes need to ensure they optimize their workouts to reach their peak, and they, like you, have taken diet extremely seriously. If you don’t eat the right foods before, during or after your urn then you simply won’t get the best out of your body and you many, in fact, harm your performance, causing yourself discomfort on numerous levels.

Before Your Run

Before heading out for your run, whether it’s a daily routine or a professional training session, you must remember that the best fuel for your muscles is carbohydrate. Luckily, carbs come in may shapes and forms, many of which are specifically designed for physical exercise. There are hundreds of energy bars, drinks, gels and other easily digestible, non-heavy foods and drinks out there for you to consume, ensuring your body remains light whilst your muscles feed, preventing you from depleting your energy stores too quickly.

If you’re looking to eat a proper meal before your run then the foods that are high in carbohydrates are pastas, fruits, breads, potatoes and rice to name a few.

How much you consume before your workout depends largely on how intense and how long your run will be. If you’re extremely lean and muscly and you train like a professional athlete then your carbohydrate needs will be higher than someone who is out of shape and simply going for a run to get back into shape.

The carbohydrates you consume before your run are stored in your muscles as glycogen in the days leading up to exercise. Fully filling your glycogen stores takes a lot of time, and, crucially, this process is largely affected by what you eat after exercise.

Remember that digestion takes anywhere from 1 to 4 hours, meaning you shouldn’t eat or drink anything that isn’t easily digestible immediately before you exercise. The food you consume will only be useful when it’s been absorbed by your body, and if it’s still sitting in your stomach you’ll find your run to be uncomfortable, possibly causing you to feel nauseous or develop cramps.

During Your Run

Similarly, to sustain your performance during exercise and delay the feeling of exhaustion that many refer to as ‘hitting the wall’ you need to consume carbohydrates. This is because carbs make the body produce more insulin (blood sugar), and this in turn reduces the amount of cortisol that your body creates. Cortisol causes your body to break down proteins much faster than normal, ultimately breaking down muscle to generate fuel for your body. This is what makes you tired and what makes your workout far less effective – after all, you need strong, functioning muscles to perform at your best!

Generally you should be consuming 30-75g of cabs per hour to ensure you’re achieving peak performance. Also, to maximize carb absorption by the body, it’s a good idea to combine the types of foods that you eat. For instance a carb that is rapidly oxidized, when combined with a carb that is slowly oxidized, creates a faster carb absorption process in the gut. This means you should try to combine glucose with fructose for instance.

Aside from carbohydrate, it’s also recommended to consume protein. This is because muscle is generally always broken down during exercise for one reason or another, be it physical forces such as high-impact running, or the eventual release of cortisol within the body. When consuming a carbohydrate PLUS as protein drink or food, the destruction of muscle tissue is far less than when consuming carbs alone.

Generally drinks are the best to consume when running, as solid food takes longer to digest and can make you feel too full, leading to cramps or stomach upsets. If you wish to snack though then the best foods are fresh fruits, dried fruits or whole grains, as well as energy bars or protein bars available on sale at your local supermarkets or health food stores.

After Your Run

If you’re looking to build muscle, lose fat or simply ensure maximum capacity performance when yo next exercise then it’s crucial for you to take your post-workout meal seriously.

To put it simply, aside from water (which you need at every stage of the day) you should be consuming protein and carbs. You should NOT be going anywhere near fat. That’s not because fat is bad for you – it’s because fat slows down digestion, and that means it will slow down your body’s absorption of proteins and carbs, both of which are crucial after a workout!

You should eat your post workout meal as soon as you can, and ideally within 30 minutes of ceasing to exercise. If 30 minutes is impossible then try to get it into your body within one hour.

Although chicken, fish, eggs and other meats are all good, healthy forms of protein, the protein you should be consuming after a workout is in liquid form. This is because it’s easily digestible and quickly consumed, meaning it gets into your body and therefore affects your muscles faster than anything else. Whey protein in particular is the fastest digesting form of protein in existence, so try to get yourself a whey protein shake and take it with you when you exercise.

It’s recommended that you consume 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per pound (lb) of your body weight. So, if you’re 175lbs then you’d be looking to consume 26-43g of protein. If you’re seeking to lose weight then you should use your target body weight as your guideline – not your current body weight!

After protein, the next important thing to consume is carbs as they restire muscle glycogen that was depleted during your workout. The faster digesting carbs are best, unlike throughout the rest of the day, and this means foods like bread (which have a high glycemic index). Ideally though, you want the carbs to absorb super fast, and this is where dextrose can become extremely useful.

Although dextrose is, simply put, sugar, it is perfect for a post-workout meal as it absorbs extremely quickly and doesn’t weigh you down or make you feel full like bread does. Once again you should be aiming to consume 0.25 – 0.4 grams of carbs per pound of body weight, unless you’re overweight in which case, use your target body weight as you did with the protein supplements.

The best thing about your post-workout ‘meal’ is that it can be combined as powder in a shaker and then, after you exercise, you can simply add some water and consume it on the spot, ensuring that your muscles repair properly and you can perform at full capacity next time.