Myth: Running is bad for your health.

The sports store has such an attractive discount on a fitness suits. And your figure in it is so … so! Buy and start running. Try! Under certain conditions, it will bring you a lot of benefits. Understanding on the run: are technique and health important? And to whom running is contraindicated.

What are the benefits of running?

Running, when it is comfortable, has a positive effect on health. Osteopathic practice, for example, considers running a stereotypical movement that synchronously restores the mobility of the left and right sides of the human body. In the process of running, the body twists, and recovery occurs in spasmodic, overstressed, or overly relaxed tissues. That is, running itself can already solve many problems of a physiological and even psychological nature.

Strengthening the musculoskeletal system

The specificity of movements during running is such that many muscle groups are involved, and blood circulation in the joints increases. Regular, optimal in terms of load and not exhausting training strengthens the muscle frame, restores tone, and relieves accumulated tension and clamps.

Normalization of the gastrointestinal tract

Movement stimulates intestinal peristalsis and increases blood supply to internal organs and lymph flow. As a result, digestion improves, constipation disappears, and the so-called internal massage of the abdominal organs occurs with the help of the diaphragm.

Activation of metabolism and immunity

Adequate exercise, like healthy stress, stimulates the immune system and accelerates metabolism. It becomes easier for the body to resist infections.

Weight loss

It is a long run at a calm pace. Other aerobic exercises lasting more than half an hour contribute to the loss of fatty tissue, in contrast to anaerobic power exhausting exercises, which aim to increase muscle mass. Therefore, running is the most real, free, and enjoyable form of physical activity for stable weight loss and retention of the result.

Improved respiratory function

While running, the body’s need for oxygen sharply increases, the lungs are trained, and their volume increases. So you additionally carry out the prevention of possible diseases in the future.

Strengthening the cardiovascular system

Like breathing, during an easy run, the training of the cardiovascular system takes place no longer than an hour and a half. Blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle improves, capillaries expand, and the condition of the veins improves, which means that moderate running is also useful for those with varicose veins.

Endurance

Daily running is a great way to develop this quality. Morning or evening is not so important; the main thing is regularity, a moderate pace, and a workout duration of at least 30 minutes. You’ll see overcoming laziness in the first weeks; then, you will feel a real physical dependence on jogging and prefer sneakers and an hour in the park or on the street to a cup of coffee and hanging out on social networks.

Willpower and discipline

These are already psychological and very pleasant side effects of jogging. Introducing this habit into your life will surprise you with how much more organized and rational you will manage your time.

Emotional charge

The most intense experience. Drive, lifting, physical fatigue, which brings only pleasure, a surge of strength, and vivacity – usually experienced by a person who has decided to get on the treadmill. And also, a good mood improves sleep and gives a real opportunity to switch and reboot the brain.

Basic rules of running

There is nothing universal. It may seem that running is the embodiment of pure benefit; however, for this to be true and for training not to be harmful, several conditions must be considered. A useful run is comfortable.

Time

Whether you are an amateur or a professional, remember the time intervals for which it is better not to go. Otherwise, you risk introducing the body into a state of stress. The morning of a runner begins at seven or eight o’clock. Evening – so that the training is over by 21 o’clock. You should not do it right before bedtime; it will be difficult to calm down and get a good night’s sleep. If the only option to go for a run is during the day, then try to do it not immediately after eating.

Clothing and footwear

Clothing should not restrict movement and pinch the waist, hips, chest, and legs. Let it be an expensive but breathable suit made of moisture-wicking fabric. Under it, you can wear a cotton T-shirt, especially if there are problems with the skin on the back, irritation, or acne. Shoes should be selected individually, taking into account the anatomical features of your particular foot, and generally be running – with reinforced heels, the right sole. It is ideal to use custom-made orthopedic insoles with running shoes, which will unload the foot and knee, while the back will experience less vibration load.

Place

Running along the roadway brings little benefit. During the load, the lungs work more intensively, the need for oxygen increases dramatically, and you involuntarily breathe deeper. That is, you get more air of the quality that is around. So think about what to choose for a run – a park or a barrier.

Air temperature

Heat is a burden on the body and the heart. Running is another burden. You shouldn’t combine them. If the thermometer is more than 25 and you feel uncomfortable walking, you don’t need to wear sneakers and arrange a race. But the cold is different. Down to minus ten, jogging won’t hurt. The main thing is to breathe through the nose and monitor body temperature, avoid hypothermia, and take a warm shower after training.

Health status

Do not force yourself out into the street. Physical ailment, fever, exacerbation of chronic diseases, severe headache, menstruation – a reason to postpone training or replace it with a walk at a calm pace.

Drinking regime

How much should you drink during a workout? Experts are still arguing, but it’s better to start from your feelings – there should be no thirst. A few sips every 15 minutes won’t hurt at all. And after the end of the run and the stabilization of the pulse, it is better to drink about half a liter of pure water. Weight loss is a natural effect of regular moderate running.

Safety First

When running, it is very important to assess the state of muscle fitness. The main mistake of beginners is to run a lot immediately and for long distances. And it doesn’t matter if it’s running with acceleration or normal. They sort out with time and load.

If you decide to take up running, increasing the intensity of your training should be very sensible and progressive. Always start training with a distance of 3 km at maximum. And only when jogging becomes an integral part of life can you bring this figure to 5 km. But again, it all depends on your characteristics. If uncomfortable, then increase the load even more slowly. Remember: your task is to enjoy physical activity and not come first and die at the finish line.

And if you are overweight, 10-20 kg, then the beginning of your run should be walking. Lose 5-7 kg, so there is no heavy load on the spine and joints, and then start jogging.

Another danger of running from the point of view of the impact on the musculoskeletal system is when people run without warming up and preparing for the load and get injured tendons and muscles, knees, and dislocations. Or they bring themselves to muscle hypertonicity, which can lead to injury. Before training, the body should always be warmed up with warm-up exercises.

Nutrition and running

You can run on an empty stomach if you feel comfortable. After the night, insulin levels in the blood are low, and the load will create ideal conditions for losing weight – unless you begin to replace the loss actively. But many say that it is unpleasant to run without breakfast, one feels lethargic, and there is no need to talk about a charge of good mood. Therefore, professional runners are advised to start training after a light snack with complex carbohydrates: porridge or cereal bar. They won’t raise insulin levels much, but they will add vigor significantly. After training, it is also important to replenish carbohydrate reserves.

The fact is that after an intense load, the so-called carbohydrate window appears. This is about one and a half hours when the body replenishes the glycogen spent during exercise. And so that there is no metabolic failure and disruption of the liver (the main depot of glycogen), it is better to give these carbohydrates to the body in the form of food – again, whole grain bread, a bar will do.

The most popular questions about running

Why can’t you run in regular shoes? 

It does not provide reliable protection for the foot; it is possible to dislocate it accidentally. In addition, the sole of shoes not designed for running does not unload the foot but, on the contrary, creates unnatural tension.

What is the peculiarity of training after 40 years? 

On the one hand, with age, there is a slowdown in metabolism and an increase in the amount of fatty tissue, and if you want to maintain a stable weight, as before, the load needs to be increased. On the other hand, after age 50, when a woman enters menopause, the risk of developing osteoporosis increases. Discussing the possibility of running with a doctor after undergoing examinations for bone density is better.

Which type of running is better – fast or slow? 

If we talk about the health and cardiovascular benefits, moderate and long, not jerky running is better. So you can keep a stable heart rate and even outbreathe without excessive overloads when accelerating or decelerating sharply.

What is the main contraindication to running?

It is not alone. Severe diseases of the organs of vision, significant disorders of cerebral circulation, cardiovascular pathologies, inflammatory processes in the joints, kidney stones, or gall bladder.