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!
Now we are getting to the bottom of the mystery Jesse! 3 bottles of beer a night? That amounts to around 3500 Calories a week. Basically, you will not burn fat if you are filling yourself with all that beer!
this article helped me finish my homework. I didn’t complete the mile in 11 min. So I had to write a 410 or 420 word essay.
ah ok. so how many km do i have to jog everyday?
Hi Andrea, first I have heard of a school setting essays for not running quick enough!
Aim for 30 minutes to start with, and build up your speed rather than time. Do one longer jog each week, say 60 minutes.
ah ok. i run this morning 9.5 km in 1hour my speed is good?
looks good.
hi, my question in that if im running 6 times a week for at least 10 minutes but i have reduced my diet to only essentials and have everything included from cereals,eggs,rice and meat and etc. is the time limit alright for reducing weight or should i do more?
Hi Zee, it may be enough, but then again, it may not be. 20 minutes would certainly be better than 10, and 30 minutes better than 20. Any reason to only do 10 minutes?
I am now 35yrs old I stopped smoking (after 22 years of smoking I started when i was 13) terrible I know. But now it is going better, I have started gym and gym 6 times a week. I also live on a farm and have started jogging, so now my goal is to get fit and healthy and love life again….I loved all the running stories especially about the 10yr old boy…fantastic
i m afraid to try more because recently like 4 months back i just had my appendix operated and my stitches r fresh so im a little hesitant to do more…i ve already reached to 15 minutes this week.
Zee, you should probably check with your doctor then to find out how much exercise is safe for you.
I have a body weight routine that I do at least 4 times a week. What do you know about jogging and working out in the same day? Should I jog one day and workout the next? Should I jog everyday?
Hi Max, nothing wrong with jogging and working out on the same day.
Hi, I walk for 40 minutes daily evening ( before dinner) in a park having dia of about 250 ft. I take 4 rounds of brisk walk and then 4 rounds of Jog and after jog again 4 rounds of walk. Is it right way to do exercise of 40 minutes? I do Yoga for 30 min and some stretches too in the morning.
Hi Rajesh, that is good exercise. So long as you work on improving your fitness you will do well.
Hi, I’m currently training for a half marathon and have missed a week of training due to bad weather (it would have been our fourth week). Is it okay to go straight on to the week that we have missed (this starts with an 80 minute jog) or should we ease in more gradually, could we have lost fitness in this time? P.S I have done lots of walking on the week off.
If you are fit enough then it is probably OK to start the week as planned.
I am training for an ultra marathon (50 miler) in September. I currently have been running 5-7 miles a day for the last week and I’m going to step it up to 10 miles a day tomorrow and continue to rise the distance weekly until August sometime. I just wanted to ask if you know where I can find a list of symptoms to look out for while running long distances, like naussea, dizziness, vomiting, blistering, etc and the cure for them so that I can put it into my running pack as references while on the road. I have looked all over the Internet but can’t seem to get a complete list.
Hi Scott, sorry but I have not seen anything like this, maybe something we need to have here. This article may help – https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/a765037/overtraining-spot-the-signs/ – although I suspect that your best option is to research more and compile your own list – you will more likely remember the symptoms that way.
Hi I would love to lose weight quite quickly, and I think running/jogging would be a good idea as I don’t have the opportunity to go to a gym. But I feel really self conscious when I am running as I got laughed at when I was a child. I wonder if there is anything else I could do to lose weight all over especially my face by the summer? Thanks :)
Hi Louisa, just get out there and run. I am sure nobody will be looking at you or laughing at you, just do it for you.
Hi, very good input. Im 33, 5’6 195 lbs… and have a 20 month year old son and a 9 month year old son. So right off the bat my time is limited for running and dropping lbs. I just figured out today a routine that Im going to try to follow, – after I drop the kids off at the babysitter in the morning, and before I go into work, Im going to my parents house, (which is on the way) they have a treadmill there. So I started today, did 10 minutes total, jogging and running. I gotta drop like 20 lbs. I dont have time besides this in the morning. Do you think this will work? lol
It should help Chris17, 10 minutes is a good start, try to do more in time. Can you do another 10 minutes when you pick the kids up later in the day?
I can if I wanted to, but after an 8 hour work day Im kind of shot. My day begins at 7am so by the time 5pm rolls around all I want is to go home, have dinner and watch sports on tv! I guess after a week or two of running in the morn, I’ll see how Im feeling, hopefully energy level will go up. thanks!
Maybe you could ask the babysitter to start 20 minutes earlier and give yourself more time to exercise in the morning? 1 workout is enough really, just need to be able to increase your workload to get fitter.
I hear ya, today is day 2 and my legs are pretty dam sore! I’ll see about next week if my body will let me do more then 10 min… This is the part that sucks
Just work through it Chris17, keep running.
Thanks for your motivation! I took off friday and the weekend bec my legs where just to dam sore! But this morn I ran a good 10 min. and going to continue. But I did have a couple ciggs saturday and was def feeling it while I was running… I dont smoke a lot, or even every day, but want to stop totally.
hi i am sunil i recently joined a club which has a gym but there are no trainers over there . i started to run on a tread mill early morning every day for a 1 and half km continuously . but in this page i did see that we shouldnt jog or run early morning . is it true . please let me know you views on this
You can run any time of day that suits you.
Great site thanks. I have been running for three weeks, I run at 10kmh for three minutes and walk for three, I do ten of each and than walk another 2.5 km to get home….., It doesnt seem to be getting any easier, what am i doing wrong….
Hi Oscar, it takes time. 3 weeks is not long in running. A lot of changes need to take place in your body, both cardiovascular improvements and muscle development. Make sure you have a little snack after your runs to help feed your muscles.
Really good site. I’ve been wanting to take up jogging for a while and the only thing holding me back has been what people will say. Like I know the people I live with will make jokes or comments at first but I’m not going to let that stop me. How important actually IS it to wear proper shoes? I can’t afford any proper shoes at the moment and I’ve been told NOT to jog in my Converses. I don’t want to start off as a barefoot runner though. Would it be alright if I went for, say, a 30 minute jog twice a week for a month wearing Converses? until I can get some shoes for it.
Hi Kathi, I do not think that Converses are really suitable for jogging. Maybe a cheaper pair of basic running shoes would be better? You can get a pair for around £25 (and cheaper) that will provide more support and cushioning than Converses. Take a look at Amazon or see what offers are on the High Street.
Question – I run 10 min a day on the treadmill… For weight loss Is it better if I jog the whole 10 min, or run hard for a couple minutes, then walk for a couple, then run hard again? thanks
Hi Chris, to be honest, 10 minutes is not going to make a huge difference either way. Best to focus on trying to run for longer, so go steady but try to last for at least 30 minutes.
I hear ya… but when I start running longer and harder my shins start to hurt. I don’t know if its shin splints or just from running on a treadmill. Im not going up hill. I feel I have to stop running because of this annoying pain, any suggestions? thanks
If running is a problem then you could look to do alternative exercises. Shin splints is generally reduced through rest. Maybe a better running shoe will help, what do you run in?
What alternative exercises without gym equip would be helpful? I run in a $20 pair of payless sneakers lol… I know, I know
So many – burpees, squats, push ups, mountain climbers, lunges, jumping jacks – do some circuit training.
hi! we have fun run this coming sunday how the preparation for 10km run? i ran now 54minutes in 10km everyday is it good for competition?
Hi Jesse, if you are running 10 km a day then it sounds like you are well prepared already. Maybe do a shorter run on Saturday and keep stretching and massaging / soaking the muscles. Enjoy the fun run!
its good to drink energy drink before the race?
Of course, and during if it is a long race.
thanks. how about alcholic drinks is it ok? coz i drink everyday
Jesse, drinking every day is not good for your health, your weight or your fitness. We already discussed this on the 18th January.
My name is lupe and I usually run 2 miles mon-friday and about 4 miles sat-sunday also about 4 times a week i have water polo
Hi, I have been jogging my neighborhood around the block I live, its about 1.5 miles. I have two steep hills also. I’ve been doing this about three days a week. It usually takes around 20 minutes. I’m not trying to loose weight,I am a good weight, I’m just trying to be fit and maintain. Is this enough or should I be doing more?
Hi Natalie, for fitness this is a good start. To get fitter you will need to do more in time – either running faster, running more often or running for longer (or a bit more of each).