The Health Benefits Of Running and Jogging

Young woman jogging through the parkRunning 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. Some people believe that we are born to run and it is one of the most natural forms of exercise.

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.

Regular running and jogging is a good way to improve your health and fitness. You do not need to become a marathon runner to benefit greatly from running.


You also should not be overly concerned about long-term damage to joints such as knees, ankles and hips, as a result of running because with good quality running shoes and a sensible approach, the risks are minimal, and the benefits of being fitter outweigh those possible risks. Read this article if you do have, or have had, an ankle injury: Running With an Ankle Injury.

The cardiovascular improvements that jogging provides are of greatest importance to many people as makes the heart stronger and more efficient, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and heart failure. The improvements in blood circulation and respiratory health which result from regular exercise is essentially what we call “fitness“.

Running also speeds up the digestive system and can help to relieve digestive problems. Many people who live a sedentary lifestyle develop digestive problems that can be improved with a healthier diet and some regular exercise.

Does Jogging Help You To Lose Weight?

Jogging makes you burn fat and thereby helps to lose weight. In addition to increasing metabolism, jogging is an effective way to burn more calories, which helps you lose weight. If calories consumed in food are less than calories spent during exercise and other daily activities, you will lose weight. It is impossible not to! Many people have learned how to lose weight by starting a running program.

Jogging helps to reduce stubborn fat. Stubborn fat can be very hard to shift, but a running program can really help to cut down on the last of your stubborn fat. The key is to think long-term and always work on your fitness. Change can take a long time to come but the end result it much improved fitness and strength which makes maintaining a healthy weight so much easier.


If you suffer from poor appetite, jogging will improve your appetite. Along with all other forms of exercise – the harder you work, the more you need to eat to repair your muscles and refuel them. When you start to run longer distances you will start to eat to fuel your body, and may even find that you need to eat more food everyday, than you did when you were overweight. As you develop your running you need to ensure that you are eating well, so read up on some nutrition advice for runners.

The Benefits of Jogging

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 Daily

There are several benefits of running everyday too. As already mentioned, a daily run helps maintain your metabolism and burns more calories. It also improves cardiovascular fitness – daily exercise is recommended for this purpose. Also, making the habit of running every day helps you maintain your new fitness regime in the long-term – if running can be part of your daily routine, like cleaning your teeth and taking a shower, then you will never think about “working out”, as you will just be going about your daily life. Of course, it is nice to have some days off, such as at Christmas or while on holiday.

Jogging for Weight Loss

Of course, the main reason many people jog is to lose weight, and jogging is a good way to burn extra calories and increase your metabolism. Jogging alone will not lead to great results though, you will need to clean up your diet too.  In short, jogging is good for weight loss.

Advice on jogging with colds and flu

Research carried out by Professor Mike Gleeson from Loughborough University and presented to the Association for Science Education (ASE) Conference in January 2011 found that gentle aerobics, such as jogging, helps to ward off colds and flu by up to 33%. However, running long distances and training for a marathon will make you around 6 times more likely to pick up a virus.

It is not just jogging that helps to boost the immune system, a daily brisk walk has the same effect. The research found that most types of intensive exercise increases the chances of catching a cold. This is not really a new finding as many athletes and runners have been well aware of this all their lives!

Jogging and Depression


Running can counteract depression, as all forms of exercise can help people cope with depression – this is one of the lesser known benefits of running. 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.

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. Overtraining can occur if you do not rest properly.

Running is one of the simplest and most effective forms of exercise. It improves overall health, helps with weight loss and gets you fit. So, what is stopping you? Get started today!

802 Comments on “The Health Benefits Of Running and Jogging”

  1. MotleyHealth says:

    GI refers to the glycemic index which is a measure of the speed at which sugar in carbohydrates is digested and enters the blood supply. You can learn all about the GI Diet in our eBook: The Low GI Diet Plan – Glycemic Diet eBook

    Regarding breathing, just breathe naturally. Keep your jaw relaxed and breathe in and out through the mouth or in through the nose and out of the mouth if comfortable. But worry more about the running and let the breathing look after itself.

  2. thanks

  3. help.. i’ve been running for just 4 times and something happened on my ankle… i don’t know if it is sprain or what… but i was’nt able to walk well the next day… and till now i can’t run, it’s been 5 days now… and it is not that well yet… it is not swelling but there is pain when i walk or hop o jog… should i consult a doctor… get a massage or not continue to run for a while… i need help… thanks

  4. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Roch, best to get it checked out by a doctor really. Rest it, get some professional advice.

  5. I’m 18 and weigh 175 pounds (height 5’4) and I’m thinking of jogging to lose weight during the summer. How many days of jogging is preferred ? Is it something that should be done daily ? because i have summer classes during the summer.
    Also my main diet is rice which I think negates the amount of calories I burn if i do exercise. Are there any vegetarian substitutes for food other than rice ? I really want to lose weight…
    Thank you for the nice article!!

  6. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Jenny, daily jogging is good, although you should aim to get fitter by running further and running quicker over the course of the following weeks to increase the rate at which you burn fat. White rice is not good as it is high GI. Consume mostly low GI carbohydrates to help manage weight.

  7. Hi, Im not sure what I am doing wrong! I started running 5 weeks ago. At first I used to run one minute, walk one minute for eight minutes. Which killed me then! I am now up to running for 40 minutes, in ten minute intervals with a one minute walk in between each. Im a 6ft 1 female and I weigh 82.5kg and am aiming to lose 10kgs. Im watching my diet and eating about 1400 calories a day, including fruit, lean meat, loads of veg and wholegrain pasta, rice etc but the scales arent budging!! I do feel better and fitter for running but starting to become very disheartened. Im worried not losing weight is going to de motivate me and stop the running :( Any suggestions, help would be gratefully received

  8. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Zoe. Getting fit is the first step the losing weight. Some would say it is the hardest way to lose weight, but it is also the healthiest and best long term method. Plus there are many other benefits of being fitter. Just keep running and eating a healthy diet. In time you will get even fitter and lose weight. You may want to check the “loads of veg and wholegrain pasta, rice etc” to make sure that is not giving your more calories than you have previously calculated. Don’t get disheartened, by exercising you are helping yourself to become healthier, it takes time though.

  9. What are the benefits of jogging over walking? I’ve heard you burn the same calories for both activities. Does running increase your metabolism more/faster than walking?

  10. MotleyHealth says:

    Jogging will raise your heart rate more and get you fitter, which is good for health. AS far as burning calories is concerned, over the same distance you burn more or less the same calories, however, if you are jogging you can work more intensively, so burn more calories in less time. Ideally as you get fitter you will be running for longer periods too which will burn a lot more calories.

    As a guide;

    Walking 3 mph 280 / hour
    Jogging 5 mph 500 / hour
    Running 700 / hour

    (source: Average Calorie Expenditure For Different Activities)

    So according to those figures running burns 2.5 times more calories than walking.

    Of course, this is very much an average figure, and begs the question – when does jogging become running? For me, running is simply when you whole body is leaving the ground on every stride, whereas with jogging one foot is usually in contact with the ground. Propelling yourself along (and off the ground) at a fast speed burns a lot more calories than walking.

    If you have 1 1/2 hours to spare for a nice walk then walking is a great way to get fit, but you can do as much work in 30 minute of running.

  11. Hi MH
    I’m male, 16, asian and weigh 60 kg
    Sth strange usually happens when i jog, after at least 20 minutes muscles around my breast near shoulder become so painful, but i keep jogging 4 another 40 minutes with constant speed
    A few minutes after the first pain strikes me, it disappers or move to another muscles breast or ribs
    But if i go on jogging for another hour, the pain will disappear during that 1 hour.
    If i jog again 2 days later, the pain won’t strike me. But if i stop jogging for a week, it’ll strike me. Due to this i only dare to jog once or twice a week. Sometimes i don’t jog for 2 weeks.

    Is this dangerous? Usually i make my body run, eventough i’m already worn out. Can i jog 3 times or more a week?

  12. Hi, I jog for 20 mins 4 days a week, I jog for 10mins,rest for about 3mins and jog for another 10mins, I’ve been doing this for about a month now but there is no significant change, I currently weigh 89kg and I’m 20, I tot it may be my food,so I started d warrior diet 2days ago, whereby I eat a small plate of salad and drink ribena during d day and I eat whatever I want in d night,I rily need to lose 10kg by end of next month, July? pls what can I do, help!

  13. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Ikram, it is impossible to say what the problem is. Best have a doctor look at you though. If you are fit and healthy you can jog every day. Best do more gentle exercise until a doctor has given you the all clear.

  14. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Deejay. You need to give it more time and increase you jogging. 20 minutes 4 times a week, that means in your first month you have done about 5 hours of exercise. You cannot expect huge change from 5 hours of exercise.

    Plus, you say that in the evening you eat whatever you like. That is not going to help you lose weight. You have to restrict calories to lose weight, even if you are exercising, and especially if you are only exercising for 20 minutes.

  15. I’m a 39 year-old female who has had two children. I weigh 119 lbs. and I’m 5’6″ tall. I’ve been working out pretty steadily for the last four years: pilates, yoga, strength training and cardio dvd’s. I started jogging this morning after thinking about it for the last six months. I’m sore but overall am encouraged enough to continue. I jogged for 30 minutes, alternatiing every five minutes between a moderately-paced jog and a brisk walk. I realize that it will take awhile for me to build up my stamina. When should I start to see results in both my stamina and overall fitness? I’m physically in pretty good shape, although my lower abs could be tighter. Also, I’m afraid of injury and pain that I heard some people speak of. Any suggestions on how to prevent that from happening? Thanks.

  16. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Toni, if you have been working out for the last 5 years then jogging should not cause any problems. Make sure you stretch well afterwards and warm up first. Get some good footwear too.

  17. Hi,

    I run 5-days a week and split up my jogging into two 15 minute increments a day (my work break in the morning and my work break in the afternoon). Each time I run 2.5kms…is it beneficial to split up my workouts? or is it more effective to do one longer workout at lunch?

    Thanks!

  18. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Scott, hard to answer. If you do one longer workout then you can spend more time exercising at a higher intensity after your warm up run. However, 2 runs will help you to manage your appetite better, assuming that you generally eat after you run (which I assume that you do). If performance is the question then I would think that the one longer run may be better simply because you could do a few sprint intervals to push yourself harder in that time.

  19. around how much calories would you lose from jogging 3 miles in a medium pace?

  20. Wow, thanks for the quick response!

    I’m 5’8 175lbs…i’m burning between 150-200 calories for each of the two 2.5km intervals…I am thinking of transitioning to the one longer workout (25-30minutes at lunch)…anything to get out of the office!
    -Thanks

  21. hi i want to start jogging tomorrow after trying to lose weight for the last 3 months this is my last shot im 5.4 and 76 kg i just wanted to know how much i should start with many thanks

  22. I did buy some really good running shoes over the weekend and I definitely feel a difference already. This morning’s run was a bit easier on me cardio-wise. I stretched well afterwards so the soreness was not as much as it was on Friday. But back to my original question: how long before I start to see visible results? I’ve been hearing it could take up to two months to notice a difference in your body and stamina-wise too. Could it be quicker for someone like me who is already in good physical condition? My route is approximately 2 miles that I jog. I do eat pretty “cleanly” as well. Any information you could give would be appreciated. Thanks again.

  23. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Toni, glad you are getting on well with your new shoes. It really is not possible to say how soon you will see the desired results. Just keep working on getting fitter, running faster, running further, and you will get there.

  24. MotleyHealth says:

    Start with as much as you can do comfortably. That may be 5 minutes jogging or 60 minutes, depends entirely on how fit you are.

  25. I would like to ask what is the proper way to breath during a jog, somewhere i read that both with nose and mouth so u get enough air, but i also read breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, which helps you relax. so which makes jogging easier please ?

  26. MotleyHealth says:

    Whichever way is most natural and comfortable for you, try not to think about it too much. As you run faster you will have to breath through your mouth as you cannot get enough air in or out through your nose.

  27. I have a question about stretching. I’ve heard that you shouldn’t stretch before jogging/running because the muscle is cold and tight, making it more suspectible to injury. Then I heard you should stretch beforehand because it can help to increase your running stride. I’m confused as to what’s correct. I’ve been warming up with a brisk five-minute walk before I start my jogging and that’s been fine. I stretch AFTERWARDS and it seems to stave off any real serious soreness so I think I’m doing alright. I’d appreciate hearing what you think as I’m brand-new to the world of jogging. Thanks.

  28. MotleyHealth says:

    It makes sense to stretch afterwards. Stretching cold muscles is not a good idea, get the blood flowing first.

  29. Hi,

    I need a little advice, i have been running for about 3 weeks now, each lap i do is 3/4 of a mile, i tend to do 2 laps in the afternoon and a lap and a half an hour after dinner.

    I am naturally quite masculin, my upper body is not in bad shape, although i have small love handles emerging, but heres the main problem… my legs are quite large, they have fat around them and it really is irritating, as it makes me look out of proportion !

    Do you think that the amount of excersize that i do is enough ?

    I have about 3 weeks left

    Thank you.

  30. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Mo, I think you need to do more. Ideally aim for 3 miles in the morning, so that would be 4 laps, and then another 2 in the afternoon. Keep increasing your distance and your speed.

  31. Hi, I’m 15 years old and Baseball season just ended for me. I’m preparing for highschool football and then wrestling season after that. I would like to construct a long distance running plan to follow up with along next to my weight training I allready work with. To prepare for upcoming sport that require me to bulk up how much running is too much? Will running long distance most days of the week make me too lean while I’m trying to bulk up and cause me to lose too much musle and weight that I need to stay big. Thank You

  32. Awesome, thank you for the quick reply.

    Ahh four laps in the morning and two in the afternoon, sounds challenging, but hey, no pain no gain.
    I guess I just have to push harder!

    Thanks again

  33. MotleyHealth says:

    I used to live with a middle distance runner. He would run at 6am every day, and then again at lunch time or in the evening. Rain or shine, ice or sleet! You are right, no pain, no gain! But in time it will not feel like pain, it will be your pleasure.

  34. I had a baby 3 months ago and have really added weight especially in my belly. I really want to get back my pre preg body with its flat belly. So, I started jogging yesterday- I jog for 10minutes and fast walk for 20 minutes early in the morning without any food or fruit and today too. Is this O.k.
    My thighs and calf presently hurt, Is it normal?
    i really need to get back to shape- the motivation is there but I need to know how to do it right. Please help!!!
    Thanks..

  35. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Frances, perfectly normal for your thighs to ache after exercising them for the first time in a while. Try also alternating jogging and walking, say 1 minute jog, 1 minute walking. This should allow you to workout at a higher average intensity over the 30 minutes.

  36. Thanks.

  37. Hi I just started jogging today. I woke up at 7:30 a.m and went to the closest track to my house. I started off speed walking and then started jogging. I did this for about an hour and when I got home I was tired and I felt sleepy so I took a nap, is that supposed to be normal? I’m only jogging just to stay fit and I have belly fat and love handles which I’m dieing to get rid of!!!

  38. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Gin, that is nothing to worry about. You did one hour of exercise so it is natural to feel tired afterwards. Did you eat anything before or after? Best have a healthy meal afterwards, a balanced of protein and carbohydrates to refuel and repair. Just stick to the plan and in time you will get fitter and stronger and not need those naps first. Also, going to bed early will help, if you had a late night. But if you have time to nap after, go for it. It’s the fastest way to recover.

  39. Hi there,

    I’ve been doing running for a little while now, really enjoy it. I try and do around 5-6k 3-4 times a week, with other excersise such as cycling ect. I need some advice though. I stretch my legs before and after running, but have found recenly to be getting terrible pains in the backs of my legs. It really slowed down my running today, but I tried to keep going and found it hurt more when I had a break/walked. Could you advise me further? Also, I have put on a little weight, but find I get so hungry after running, I am starving. I really would benefit from a normal days food/ some good quick recovery foods to eat after excersise.

    Thank you for your help
    Dan

  40. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Dan, it is vital that you control your appetite. If could be that your blood sugar levels are running low after your 6 km run so consume a healthy meal. but try not to eat too much. As for your calves maybe go to a pro running shop to see if your running shoes are OK. Sometimes a poorly fitting shoe can cause all sorts of problems.

  41. I have another question about jogging. I’m into my third week of jogging and I’m happy to report that I can jog for five minute intervals without feeling tired or winded. If I feel like jogging for longer should I or will that cause me to become really sore for pushing myself too much too soon? I downloaded a schedule for an eight-week plan on how to alternate jogging with fast walking for people brand-new to jogging and I’ve been following it thus far. I feel I could do more since I’m in pretty good shape already. I’m confused and hope you could steer me in the right direction. Thanks in advance.

  42. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Toni, if you are in good shape and your current walk-jog schedule is not pushing you harder increase the tempo! If after 5 minutes you are neither tired nor winded then carry on jogging. Aching is temporary, improved fitness lasts.

  43. I started to jog since I was not getting enough out of power walking. I suffer from depression and noticed everytime I come home from a 30-45min jog, I feel so much healthier and my mood has lifted. I have so much energy and notice Im losing weight as well. I have so much strength now in my legs where as before I didn’t. The main thing is I feel confident and healthy after each run and I enjoy it.

  44. MotleyHealth says:

    That is so good to hear Michelle. Exercise really is good for us, both physically and mentally. Good on you!

  45. Should you exercise on an empty stomach? I’ve been jogging first thing in the morning then I come back to eat a healthy breakfast. I’ve read some articles that say you should eat prior to a run (preferably with some carbs) so you can maximize your body’s “fat-burning zone”. I find if I eat beforehand that afterwards I’m eating twice as much due to all the exercise. I don’t need to necessarily lose weight – I want to maintain it at this point. Help!

  46. I’ve been eating after because I find that I don’t have a tendency to overeat b/c my appetite increases a bit due to all the exercise. Therefore, if I add beforehand then ran, worked up an appetite, I’d have to eat yet again, increasing my calories. BTW, I’m already at my ideal weight so I’m just looking to maintain at this point. Thanks.

  47. MotleyHealth says:

    Do what works for you Toni. If you are completed an adequate workout then do not eat before. Exercise increased metabolism. “Fat burning zones” are not in my opinion a useful way to encourage people to exercise. Focus on healthy diet and regular exercise, and focus on getting fitter. Having a well balanced meal after morning exercise is important though to ensure that you do not experience muscle wastage.

  48. MotleyHealth says:

    1 breakfast should be enough!

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