5 Amazing Benefits of Running

Longevity Exercise Physiology Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Lindfield and Balmain  today ask our Exercise Physiologist Georgia why more individuals should consider taking up regular running.

As someone who has competed in athletics and cross country for 10 plus years, our Exercise Physiologist Georgia is eager try and encourage more people to take up running! Although Georgia’s love for running may be slightly bias due to her success as an athlete, there is no denying running has amazing health benefits.

Regular running training will promote respiratory adaptations which we discussed in Angela’s blog this week, will decrease your risk of developing heart disease and cancer and has an amazing effect on your bone mineral density, strength and mental health.

Lets take a closer look into some benefits of running that might surprise you.

Running helps you live longer

Numerous studies have shown that running has a positive effect on our lifespan. A 2018 meta-analysis found that runners have between 25-30% lower rate of all cause mortality than non runners. More importantly than this, regular running improves your quality of life in your later years. It is no secret that illness related to inactivity has a huge burden on the healthcare system. Running, or for that matter any form of regular exercise, has an amazing impact on decreasing and delaying disability as we age.

Improves bone mineral density

As we enter our 40-50s, we are at risk of developing osteoporosis where our bones become frail and brittle and increase our risk of fractures. Post menopausal women are at higher risk because of the rapid decline in estrogen. The good news? We can influence our bone mineral density with exercise! Resistance training and high impact exercise such as running have been shown to increase bone mineral density.

Reduces your risk of developing diabetes

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin is released by the pancreas and is responsible for moving sugar from the blood stream into our muscles. When we exercise, our body burns glycogen (sugar) that has been stored in our muscles. After exercise, we need to replenish these glycogen stores with glucose from the bloodstream. The more glycogen burned, the more we need to replace! This means we see an increase in insulin sensitivity after a bout of exercise. Running is a great way to burn glycogen as it requires a lot of energy and hence is a great way to manage our blood sugar.

Improves mental health and manages depression.

For years, many people have been saying they run because it makes them feel better, and now, we have the science to back it up. A 2016 meta analysis showed that exercise is an affective treatment for depression and may serve as an alternative to medications for mild to moderate depression in some instances.

Improves immunity

There is a common misconception that exercise has the opposite effect on immunity and can make us feel run down and more susceptible to illness. Although there is some evidence to suggest we can over do it, partaking in regular exercise is great for your immunity! A paper in 2019 showed running can lower inflammation, enhance gut microbiota and reduce risk of respiratory infections.

The above points are just a small snippet of the amazing effects running can have on your overall health and longevity. However, if that is not enough to convince you, or you’re ensure how to get started, book in with one of our Exercise Physiologist to help get you going!

Contact Longevity Personal Training and Exercise Physiology on 1300 964 002 to enquire today.

Written By Georgia Wassall

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