Why do we love running? Probably because it ticks so many boxes; it relieves stress, forms a foundation for sporting fitness, it’s free, easy, fun to do, and we can do it anywhere. On top of all that there are some serious health benefits to lacing up regularly. Here are ten nasty ailments you can keep at arm’s length with regular running:
1 HEART DISEASE
30 minutes of moderate activity five days or more a week can reduce the risk. (British Heart Foundation)
2 STROKE
30 minutes of exercise five days a week is enough to bring down your risk of stroke. You don’t have to do it all in one go–it is just as effective to exercise a few times a day in 10, 15 or 20 minute sessions. (The Stroke Association)
3 DIABETES
People with diabetes are encouraged to exercise regularly for better blood sugar control and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The reason is that muscles that are working use more glucose than those that are resting. (diabetes.co.uk)
4 DEPRESSION
Several scientific studies have shown that a regular programme of exercise can help people to recover from depression by lifting their mood, reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem and concentration. They also found that taking regular exercise could help protect people against becoming depressed in the first place. (mentalhealth.org.uk)
5 OBESITY
Running for weight loss is a great tool. Once those first few pounds are shifted, you should consider extending the amount of exercise to 45 minutes and then keep increasing this as your fitness level improves. (nhs.uk)
6 HYPERTENSION
If your blood pressure is slightly higher than ideal, exercising more regularly will bring it down and keep the risk of cardiovascular disease low. (nhs.uk)
7 COLON CANCER
The most active people are 24 per cent less likely to develop colon cancer than the least active (Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis). There are 16,000 deaths from bowel cancer each year in the UK.
8 PROSTATE CANCER
Men who exercised moderately – the equivalent of three or more hours of brisk walking per week – were two-thirds less likely than their sedentary counterparts to have prostate cancer.
(Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina)
9 OSTEOPOROSIS
Running is one of the most effective weight-bearing exercises to build bones. A study in the States in the late 1980s found runners, both male and female, had approximately 40 per cent more bone mineral than non-runners.
10 ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
Men who exercise three to five hours a week have 30 per cent less risk of having erectile dysfunction. (Harvard Health Professionals)
