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. 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!
Hi Anna, hard to say, really is best to get yourself along to a proper running shop that can analyse your gait and check that your feet are landing and pushing off with good alignment, you could be hyperpronating (can cause calf tension). Also, do you stretch after running? Maybe this will help. Otherwise maybe give yourself a rest day or two then get back to it. But a good idea to get checked by a specialist running store that can suggest shoes to improve your gait.
Hi there! Hope this finds you in the best of health as well:) I’m female, 34 yrs young, 62 kilos and 5’5″ in height. I quit smoking 2 years ago and used to weigh around 51 kgs then – sadly, I put on 10 kilos since quitting. I’ve now been bitten by the jogging/running bug & started 11 days ago. My stamina was terrible! I’m only allowed 21 mins on the treadmill at the gym and i’ve noticed an improvement everyday. I manage 3kms in that time. i used to walk 8 mins and run 12 but now I manage 19 mins jogging and a minute walking. I start at a speed of 10 and then gradually slow down & run steady at 7. Feels great but i can feel a nagging discomfort in my right knee, not extremely painful but just there. I’ve run 9 days out of the 11. Do you think I should maybe swim every other day. I would like nothing but to lose these 10 kilos and really tone up my upper body and drop a couple of sizes in the process ;)Any guidance would be most appreciated. Thanks and good health to you:)
Swimming would be a good idea too, especially as you get fitter you will want to do more than 21 minutes of exercise. As for your knee you need to have your running gait analysed by a dedicated running shoe shop as you may be pronating (feet rotate slightly after heel strikes the ground). A shoe with added support will help this. But it could also be that you are not used to running and still building up strength in the muscles and ligaments which supports your need.
Dear sir, I used to run 4 kms daily when i was 17 yrs old and i did it for 1 year. I lost 25 kgs at that time and then i stopped running. Now I am 25 yrs old and have again gained a lot of weight and i also became pre-diabetic, so i started running again i hav been running for 1 and half months now and now i run 30 mins 10+10+10 with 4 mins of walking in between. I enjoy my running but my lower body i.e knees,ankles,toes have started cracking or popping even my hands pop and my neck and sometimes my back also. But i feel no pain anywhere in the body. I wear running shoes designed for running on asphalt and they feel comfortable. I am a little worried about cracking of my knees but there is no pain or swelling, my height is 6 feet and my current weight is 114kg. Should i be concerned aboout my cracking knee?
Hi Tony, those pops and crackles are cause for concern. It is possible that your shoes are not suitable for your foot type, it is always a good idea to get a shoe fitted if possible, so look for a local specialist shop who can do a running gait test (they record your foot when running on a treadmill to determine if your foot is turning to one side or the other).
I just started running about 1 month ago, I never liked long distance running and use to be more of a bike rider and into strength training… but I thought maybe I would try something different, hoping to kick start some weight lose… i do like it, sometimes I get bored, but push myself to keep going… I am trying to lose about 15-20lbs and want a more trim look, I look bulky (I have large muscles but with a layer of fat all over especially around my waist and I am getting older…39)
… one thing that bugs me, is that my mother says jogging/running is not good for you and that I will end up all saggy, loose and droopy looking :) what do you think… does running make you ‘saggy’ from all the banging up and down on the road… I do try some toning exercises when I get back from a 30 minute run/walk routine… (I try to watch what I eat also, but I am not perfect, eg: some beer on the weekends!)… :)
great website
sometimes when I run, I get extreme cramps in my lower abdomen and have to stop running and rest for 20 minutes for the pain to stop, its even hard to walk home (its not a stitch in the side), it feels like menstral cramps or all my intestines are cramping up (sometimes I feel like I have to go to the bathroom :O… I want to run, but always worry this may happen… what causes this?
Hi Steph, I really do not know what could be causing that. Worth mentioning it to a doctor. Although I just did a quick search and several women do report this problem. This thread on MedHelp.org has many women sharing their experiences, but unfortunately not much in the way of an explanation;
There is a range of suggestions from slow warm ups, dietary changes, menstrual cycle (one woman says it is always 2 weeks before her period), some say improve abdominal strength, flexibility, one says it could be a tight psoas muscle. The advice given by Dr Vinod on that page may be relevant. One person says it is uterine contractions caused by electrolyte imbalance and strain/jarring on the uterus and the muscles around it. One person (LittleSage) found that looser fitting trousers helped.
catchmeifyoucan87 writes a long post and mentions “extremely distressed, very tight hip flexor muscles, added to chronically stressed adductors and groin on my right side” as being the problem. Treatment was by massage to the hip flexor muscles.
There are many other replies there, I only got about half way through them. The conversation started in June 2007 and the most recent reply was only 5 hours ago!
Hi I am a guy with slim body..and I go to gym every morning since two weeks ..now I want to start jogging before I go to gym,but I am afraid that I won’t be able to build my body if I will jog along with gym…so please advice me…
Hi Fiaz, ideally you should not do weight training after jogging. Bodybuilders tend to do cardio in the morning and then weight training / gym in the afternoon after breakfast and lunch. But, if you only have time for one workout do the gym after. All it means is that you may not gain so much so quick as you muscles will already be a little tired from running. But you will still gain. Having a whey supplement after weight training, or even one in-between running and weight training, will help. Also take a isotonic sports drink after your run to replenish sugars (glycogen) which are needed for muscle work.
Should one run farther than 3 miles a day who’s 55+ yrs old?
Ho Theo, if you are fit and have been running before then that should be OK. If in doubt it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regime though.
Hi i started jogging about 2 weeks ago as on a health check at work, i got my lungs checked and it came back a lung age of 52, this shocked me as im 33yrs old,a non smoker,but passive smoked as a child due to parents. i weighed 182llbs and i am 6ft tall so didnt consider myself overweight. my first run i was out of breath and only managed just under a mile, i then proceded to add a quater of a mile every 2nd or 3rd jog depending on how i felt. i run 2 days on and on the 3rd take a day off, ive just hit the 2 mile mark, and have noticed my recoverytime is not as long as it was, and now include a 250mtr sprint at the end. Is this to much to soon? or carry as i am, and judge by my body signs? i eat reasonable healthy, but trying to improve, ive always controlled my weight by watching what i eat and not consuming to much
Hi Westley, sounds like you are making good progress. As you say, you are still young, not overweight and never smoked, so your should be able to pick up your fitness quite quickly. Just listen to your body and keep pushing yourself a little more each week. Carry on as you are!
Hello Sir i am Venkat
age : 24
height : 6.1′ feets
weight : 270 pounds
i like to start jogging and lose weight very fast but i get time only in the evening after 5.30 pm so can i do jogging at this time and i drink whiskey one in a week is it good to do or i should leave drinking……. please help me sir….advice me ……….to lose weight very fast please………
Hi Venkat, you can run any time of day. I generally run after 8pm each day. As for whisky, the “water of life”, you can have one small glass, that’s OK. Single malt is best of course :)
Hi sir this is Venkat can you tell me how much weight can lose in a month…..
No possible to say really Venkat, if you stick to your daily exercise and eat a healthy and calorie reduce diet then you should be able to lose 12-15 pounds ion a month. Depends on many variables though. Just do your best.
Hi there been reading thru ur article brilliant advice ive been jogging for a week now atm i can only manage 5 mins of constant jogging b4 i have to stop because my heart feels like its gonna pop out my chest, ive been setting myself targets daily and try to beat my previous day even if its just by a couple of extra steps have u got any tips on breathing i take deep breathes thru my nose n out my mouth is this the best way i only stop because of my breathing not because my body wants to after my jogs my shins calves n thighs kill is this because ive just started and im aching because im using muscles i dnt usually use obviously im gonna get certain amout of discomfort, feel loads better and more alert in myself just about to purchase a baby running stroller so my lil 1 can come out with me always looking forward to my next jog and loosing weight :) :) xx
Hi Tam, if you are not getting enough air in through the nose breath in through the mouth. Sounds like you have the right attitude though – keep pushing yourself to go a little further. And great idea to get a baby stroller too – if it comes with a wrist strap to connect to the stroller, use it! The aching she improve as your body adjusts. If you get severe pain in your shins, knees, ankles etc. then seek advice from a specialise running shop as better trainers may be required.
Hey. I am actually not sure if I am running or if I am just jogging. Im doing it everyday and I’ve been doing it for more than a year. Though I have had some breaks. Now I’m 15 years old and I’m 5 feet 7 inches tall. I have already had a growth spurt about 1,5 year ago. But I’ve noticed that I’m not growing as much as i did anymore. I’m afraid that I’ve maybe stopped growing. But anyway, I’ve started to run/jog again and I’m wondering if it’s too much running/jogging 3.5 km everyday while im just 15 years old and in the age of growing. Though i don’t feel anything bad about it and i love running.
What do you think?
Hi, I absolutely LOVE your website.
I’m a female 5’10 76 Kilos. I’ve lost 4 kilos in 1 month thanks to always coming back to your website daily and reading on here to keep me going.
OK, so I jog everyday for 1 hour without stopping and I’ve done it for a month…. is it dangerous for my legs? I don’t feel any specific pain in my legs but reading some forums online they say you should rest 1-2 days a week which I don’t do. I ride the bike 45 minutes in the morning and then jog 1 hour at night. Am I doing too much? I LOVE running and I get so anxious if I miss out on running even if it’s only one day cause I really don’t want to gain weight. I eat 3 steady and healthy meals per day.
Do you think I should let my body rest atleast once a week? Will it affect my weightloss? Thanks a bunch!
Larissa, you are not doing too much if you are eating properly and resting well. Many athletes train twice a day every day. But do listen to your body, if you are feeling over tired then give yourself a rest.
Hi Jay, there is nothing wrong with running 3.5 km a day. Did you see the news we posted on our Facebook page about the 100 year old who runs 10 miles a day? Make sure your diet is really healthy and you should reach your maximum potential height OK.
Hello,
I absolutely love your website. I am a lady and I have been overweight since I was young. I used to weigh 98 kg (215 lbs) by the time I was 20 years, so I started a diet plan which involved eating smaller portions of food, cutting down in rice and stiff porridge (I live in Africa so we call it ugali and its made of completely refined maize flour) and drinking at least 6 ounces of water per day. in the long run of about a year I lost 9 kg.
so I kinda got lazy in following up my plan so I got stuck with 89 kg. But I have started again Planning my diet. So for about a month now I have been jogging in the morning for at least 20 minutes covering 2km, then I do 50 sit-ups and 100 stretching by sitting down on the floor spreading my legs and stretching to touch my toe. I have also cut down on carb by switching to an apple in the morning with just a handful of nuts and I drink 1 litre of water very early in the morning before eating anything else. In the afternoon I eat carrots mixed with cucumbers and a bowl of any legumes that will be served in my office canteen that day. and whats more is that I drink at least 16 glasses of water everyday (4 litres) and for a snack after lunch I eat a mixture of fruits (papaya, carrot, half-orange, water melon and a banana) then for dinner I only eat two slices of brown bread with a cup of hot chocolate
I have planned to be measuring my weight monthly, and once I do I will inform you but for now please advice
Hi Anna, that sounds good. Something to work on is to start pushing yourself to job for longer than 20 minutes as soon as you can. Jogging for 30 minutes with mean burning half as many calories again, and will help you to get fitter sooner too. For diet try to eat some more protein, at the moment your diet consists of a lot of healthy carbohydrate but seems to lack protein.
Hi, first of all awesome website.
I’m a male 17 years old who started jogging about 1 month ago. Right now im jogging 6 km under 25 minutes every other day and also have been in gym (typically 1,5 hrs workout there) like half a year every other day, when it’s not jogging day.
My question is that does running make you lose muscle in upper body and if that routine is normal that one day is jogging and other day is gym?
Thanks in advance!
No, running does not make you lose muscle. If you perform any type of cardio exercise you may suffer from muscle wastage if your diet is not good. If you are doing a lot of cardio then you need to ensure that you are consuming carbohydrates afterwards – yes, carbs, not proteins! When muscle glycogen is depleted the body will breakdown tissue to gather more glycogen and this can include muscle tissue as well as fat.
If you want to maintain your upper body muscles and run, just work them on gym days and ensure that your diet is good. Mo Farrah (British long distance runner) maintains good tone in his upper body, and Usain Bolt has a very powerful upperbody. They both do a lot of running.
I have been jogging/running since I was 12 years old. I just love it. I’m not as fast as I was in middle school and high school, but I still enjoy it very much (I’m now just a fitness jogger/runner). I find that I can lose weight much more quickly with running/jogging than any other workout. I love long walks too, but it just takes too long to burn any great amount of calories. With jogging/running, I can burn much more calories in a shorter time period than walking. I go about 45-60 minutes (5 times a week; with some walking sometimes in between) and do weight training later in the day. Also, Yoga too (only Saturday mornings) for 1 hour.
Hi, I am 23 years old male, Thanks for your lovely article.
I have been working out in gym since a year now. I am jogging since 2 weeks for about 30 mins daily for a distance of 1km. I want to remove my belly fat at the same time i don’t want to lose muscles. Please tell me what diet I should follow? How much carbo and protiens I need to take. I weigh around 157 pounds with noticeable fat on my stomach.
Hi Manoj, first tip is to speed up your running! 1km in 30 minutes is a little slow. For diet, you a healthy and balanced diet is key, cut out junk food, reduce bread and other staples, focus on nutritious, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean protein sources. If you are eating some protein with each meal you are probably getting enough.
@Admin
Thanx for the quick reply :).Will try to gradualy increase my speed from tomw.
Also do you recommend any product for proteins?
For protein you should first make your diet as healthy and balanced as possible. If you start to increase your running then carbohydrates are as important as protein, if not more important. The moment your body runs out of stored sugar (glycogen) it starts breaking down fat and muscle. Generally for protein supplements whey protein taken after exercise is best. In the 2 hours after exercising the body takes up nutrients at a faster rate – so timing of food is important for maximum gains and quicker recovery.
Hi, this is the second time ive posted, up untill 3 days everything was going great, ive only been running for 3 or so weeks, and increased my distance to what i felt i was coping with letting my body dictate to me if i was over doing it, and resting accordingly. 2 days if i was still a bit tight. i had my best and quickest run, 3 and half miles, got back , stretched and went to bed, generaly feeling great, woke up the next day, and had a painfull dull, but sharpish pain on my left/middle outerside of my left foot, enough to make me limp, ive since rested and it has nearly gone and i wont resume untill im pain free. could this be my old trainers? overdoing it to early or a combination of both, just seems odd how it appeared when i was resting and not during the jog, my times had slowly improved, and am close to breaking the 10 min per mile over the 3 miles.
your opinion would be much appreciated :)
Hi Wes, it could well be your old trainers. If there is a Runners World Ltd store near you (or similar, I bought my trainers from Runners World Ltd – note, not the same as the magazine) then head over there and they can analyse your running motion to check if your feet are pronating (or underpronating).
If you gait is off then they will recommend a running shoe with support. Hopefully that is all that is wrong. But do get your feet checked somewhere – Google for [running gain analysis + your town] and hopefully you will find someone to take a look. Generally you only pay for analysis if you decide not to buy a new pair of trainers.
Hi, great article. I’m 17 and have always been a bit of a sporadic runner but for the past two weeks I have been running every day and feel great! I’ve also noticed weight loss around my middle which was what i was hoping for, but my weight has remained the same maybe even a little higher, is this just muscle gain? I have noticed my legs becoming more muscular. Thank you!
Hi Mel, could be a little muscle gain yes. Focus on fitness and let the rest look after itself. Running daily will get you fit and lean pretty soon.
Hello,
As I promised i’ll bring the feed back. I’ve lost 2.5 kg in three weeks, and I am now jogging for 40 minutes (about 2.5 km) 6 days a week. I am still drinking at least 16 glasses of water everyday and I have added some fish and eggs in my diet as per your advice. I feel good, but I’m still not quite where i wish to be. I want to be able to loose 12 kg by October next year. I will keep you guys updated. Thank u for your advice
PS; My boyfriend is so thrilled
Well done Anna, losing 2.5 kg in 3 weeks is great work. You have been losing almost 1 kg a week and to meet your target you only need to lose 1 kg a month. Of course, as you approach your ideal weight it will become harder. But if you keep improving your fitness you will get there.
Thanks to this article, I enjoyed reading this one..:)
I have been jogging twice a week because I combine running with other exercises like squats, sit ups and others. It’s now 3 weeks and we have increased the distance by 3 times. We are thinking of running holding dumb bells. how effective is it compared to increasing distance?
Which one is more effective, long distance running or many short distance sprints?
Hi Dickson, what are your goals? To get fitter or to lose weight? Interval training (sprints / recovery) is a great way to get fit, however, running distance is also very effective and will help you to burn more fat (probably). I am not sure if running with dumbbells is a good idea, will see what others think. But my concern is that by gripping the dumbbells you will be adding too much tension to the arms and shoulder and this could reduce the fluidity of your run. A better solution may be to run with a back pack.
i started jogging 3 miles a day everyday for the past 3 weeks. if i eat once a day and drink water will i lose weight faster?
Depends how much you eat in that daily meal. Really you are better off having 3 meals spread out during the day. Generally when people skip meals they end up consuming even more calories in a single meal. However, if you can control your eating and are stilling getting a balanced diet then they may work for you.
Hello,Is running on the treadmill the same as running on the track? I like to run and jog…It really does change the way you your body and mind feel..But i have a problem with eating a lot…I eat apples,yogurt and walnuts for breakfast every morning…My weight goes from 176 to 180…I want to lose 10 pounds and I stay between those to sizes..Will running help me to lose the ten pounds I want to lose.
Yes Tanisha, running on a treadmill will also work, and running will help you to lose weight.
Hi, my question is my dance teacher said to run 2 miles a week and I was wondering how many minutes do I have to run. I want an equal amount a day. So if u can help me that will be great. Thanks.
Hi Kale’a, really you should ask your dance teacher. 2 miles a week, really that would be one run, to split it over 7 days would be ineffective. Best thing to do is find a route from your house and get someone to measure it in a car and then run that route. To get fit for dancing I would suggest running 2 miles per day, at least. Aim for 10 minute miles to start with, so a 20 minute jog / run, or a little longer, depends on how fast you go really!
Hi,
I have been running now for almost 3 weeks.I weight around 90 KGs and able to run 4 KM under 25 minutes.Is it a good idea to keep running in similar fashion for couple of more weeks and build stamina so that later on I can add up more variations ( circuit training/weights etc)
Yes, that is a good idea. Either focus on running more (further and faster) or start adding additional exercise. Bodyweight workouts or weight training after running will help burn more fat and build muscle.