Why run? The benefits of running are enormous!
Pedro · 22/08/2019 (mis à jour le 22/08/2023) · 5 min read
You know it if you run, the benefits of running are enormous! So if some people are wondering why run... I'll help them answer this question in the positive! As a runner, no need for arguments, we feel the benefits of running in our body, in our mind. But at the time of starting the race, if I had to convince the beginners with some arguments....
Here are the benefits of running that I would certainly mention! Things that you have probably already read but which are now being proven one by one by science... So it's not just the opinion of a runner who wants to convince everyone to get started... Even if it's still my goal at heart!
Running for health!
Sport is good for general health, everyone knows that. Running is one of those sports with multiple benefits that contribute to iron health. It is no coincidence that on average runners are less sick than others despite winter training in the cold or in the rain! It should be noted that the immune system is strengthened especially when we run slowly, during our footings in fundamental endurance.
Without going into detail, many studies have now proven the benefits of running on heart health or hypertension. You muscle your heart, you activate your blood circulation, which accelerates a whole bunch of internal processes that are beneficial to the body. Today we are even able to advise asthmatics, people suffering from osteoarthritis or diabetes to start running... Scientific studies are multiplying and show that running is preventive against many diseases... And can even have a curative effect in some cases... Some links in English for those interested here, here, here and here.
Running forges the mind!
One of the benefits of running that many people experience is that success or failure is at least as much mental as physical. When you start running, you have to go through a difficult phase. This phase where the body and mind rebel and try to show us that running is neither pleasant nor good. You need to be highly motivated and convinced of the benefits of running, and have self-confidence, to overcome this unpleasant feeling. Insist, persevere to get past this stage and then find pleasure. It's so rewarding to succeed in getting through this stage!
And for the competitors, running to surpass themselves, to progress, to beat their records, it has only a personal symbolism in itself. It doesn't bring anything in a direct way, but succeeding in this always complicated path of beating a personal record (or simply reaching a goal) gives you enormous self-confidence. We prove to ourselves that with will and perseverance, we can move mountains! This is true in sport, but then we realize that it is also possible in our daily lives.
The benefits of running on stress!
It is certainly on this aspect that I personally feel the most the benefits of running, immediately. Take a stressful day like we all have. My focus to get through this day is to imagine the benefits of my evening run... Just imagining myself running, my stress level is starting to drop. When you put on your runnings, you put the brains of daily life on off and just start enjoying the moment.
A fundamental cool endurance session to relax completely? A big split session to free yourself from all the accumulated negative energy? Whatever the type of exit, when you return home, the pre-race tensions will have given way to relaxation and a smile on your face. No miracle it is a temporary solution, a break if you have a lot of stress on your shoulders. But it would be a shame to deprive yourself of it, the body and mind need it to avoid sinking sometimes!
And so... running makes you happier!
It is one of those ready-made formulas that does not mean much outside its context. Yet it's true all runners will tell you! Why run? You have to live it to understand that running makes you happier. Once you've passed the beginning and your body is used to running, you have a lot of fun running! That's why you have to stay motivated and don't give up at first!
In fact, feeling happier is often related to the previous point about stress. Swedish studies have shown that endurance can purge some toxic substances produced by stress and anxiety. But if science tends to prove the mental health benefits of running and sport in general... The best way to accept this fact is still to try it... We only believe what we see is well known! Start running, persevere... and finally enjoy!
Running traumas counteract the benefits?
A belief that has a hard life... Running hurts, it hurts, it traumatizes, in the long term it would break us even little by little... As with any activity, it is true if we do it badly. Respecting the principle of progressiveness in training, paying attention to recovery and avoiding overtraining to the maximum should be a basis. But if we train intelligently, science today shows the opposite of the conventional wisdom...
Running is good for bones and joints. If we do not stress the body more than reason, there is no risk to run. The body is a fantastic machine that always tries to adapt to what we put it through. So, when running, our body's response is to strengthen bones and joints to protect them from the impacts of each stride. The more we run, the more we will strengthen these parts....
Impact of running on professional life?
If you want to convince your boss to install a shower at your workplace, transfer this item to him! Because today, there is scientific evidence that the physical adaptations that the body produces after training (see this article) are not the only benefits. Post-training improvement processes would also have a positive effect on learning and memory. More details in this English article.
In any case, the positive aspects of running already mentioned above are also advantages at work... More fit, less sick, less stressed (in the morning when arriving anyway!)), having a mental steel... The runner has beautiful days ahead!
You don't have to run a lot to see the benefits!
A very interesting macro study has been published here. It analyses all scientific studies published since 2000 to prove the benefits of running. Its goal: to find the amount of running or walking needed to reduce the risk of death from chronic disease. The results show two things that are shown in the graph below.
Normal daily walking (simply doing as much as possible on foot when possible rather than by car...) already has a considerable effect. If running is superior in terms of effect, we see that 25 to 30' of running per day would have a huge effect. If we combine this with walking, we can easily say that with a classic rhythm of 3 outings per week (45' to 1h) of running seems to be the ideal way to ensure good health in the long term.
Is high-dose sport harmful to health?
Incidentally, this study also shows that high-dose sport slightly reduces health benefits. They remain adults but the rule of the ever-increasing is clearly not justified. If you want to be in good health, it is therefore perfect to have 3 training sessions per week! The rest is probably for the love of sport! ????
Living old and healthier?
I don't know about you but I have a problem with the extension of the life span which is seen as great news. When you see that the number of chronic diseases is skyrocketing... What is the point of living old if you want to be bedridden? Fortunately, it seems that physical activity and therefore running is once again the solution.
Stanford University conducted a large study over more than 20 years and 500 people aged 50 to 60 years (and who therefore ended between 70 and 80 years at the end of the study:)). The figures do not lie... 34% of non-runners died against 15% of runners... And on average chronic diseases / problems appeared 16 years later among runners than among non-runners...
Harvard Medical School also analyzed having a slower heartbeat at rest as an important criterion for extending life (see here). Knowing that running is one of the sports that has the greatest ability to strengthen the heart... We are also good on this side!
These are just statistics, but still!
Running does not solve all the problems and gives no guarantee... But the figures are clearly in favour of sports practice on average! In short, it's like seriously preparing a race by applying your training plan to the letter... You put all the chances on your side to do a good race but nothing is guaranteed! By the way, if the benefits of running make you live longer... They also allow you to do it with a brain in better shape according to this study... Also reassuring I find! ????
