Run Towards Health: Running for Exercise
When you think of exercise, what do you think of first? For many people, they immediately think of running. Running can be intimidating. While it’s absolutely a great exercise, it can be hard to get started and even harder to keep up. If you’re on the fence about picking up running, check out these great benefits that can come from running on the regular.
Burned Calories
Running uses every muscle in the body. It quite obviously uses the leg muscles, but it also uses the arms as you pump them forward and back, and it also uses the core as you hold yourself upright. Because of the massive muscle groups at work, you can burn a lot of calories in a single run. For those looking to lose weight or tone up the legs, running is an especially good way to burn fat and sculpt muscle.
Cardiovascular Health
As you run, your body demands more oxygen. Because of this, your heart pumps harder and faster to feed oxygenated blood to the rest of your body. At first, this is a real challenge. After some time, however, your heart gets in shape with the rest of your body and your cardiovascular health sees a rise. The key is to stay with it. Giving up too soon will result in all of the pain and none of the benefits.
Stamina
If you’ve ever tried to run anywhere at anytime, then you know what it’s like to be out of breath. The worse shape you’re in, the more quickly you become out of breath. Running can help to cure this problem. While the first time you run you’re likely to be out of breath pretty quickly, you’ll soon find that you can go further and longer without that out of breath feeling. Your stamina is sure to improve in a big way with a consistent running routine.
Muscle Tone
Running is a great way to tone your muscles. Have you ever seen a serious runner that is covered in flab? Probably not. It takes a lot of work for your muscles to propel you forward. The result? A nice, tone, lean muscular body to enjoy. This might take a while to achieve, but don’t give up. Stick with it and you are sure to see the results.
Though it is sure to be difficult at first, sticking with a running routine might prove very beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing. This one form of exercise can help you get in great shape and feel good about your body. Take up running and reap the benefits for years to come.
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Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Zürich Marathon