How to running for health

We feel your pain. It’s the pain of knowing you really should be running (or doing something semi-active), but not wanting to spend much time or effort on it. So we set out to find the least amount of running required to boost your chances of living a long, healthy life.

That's from the movie Forrest Gump, when Forrest (played by Tom Hanks) runs in scene after scene after scene. The idea symbolized, among other things, the beginning of the running craze that spread across the country in the 1970s. Since then, running has captured the attention of millions of Americans. Thousands of road races and marathons occur each year, and running is the sixth most popular exercise in the United States. But you don't need to run marathons, or run continuously for three-plus years like Forrest, to gain the benefits of running. Thirty minutes a day will do! In this article, I will tell you what all the fuss is about. I'll review the history of running, how to get started, what to wear, proper posture, where to run, the risks of running, and one or two more quotes from Forrest.

Found yourself with the “gotta-go” feeling only a couple miles in — though you went right before you started your run? This could be due to a couple of factors. Increased blood flow from the cardiovascular workout can speed up other body systems as well, including your kidneys’ production of urine. Also, the urge to pee may not be what it seems, Burns says. If you’re dehydrated, your body may hold on to this concentrated reserve of urine, creating a sensation similar to the one you get when you have to urinate.

Exercise is able to raise heart rate and increase the flow of oxygen-rich blood in the body, including the brain. A 2013 study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found shorter term aerobic exercise, like running, improves brain, cognition, and cardiovascular fitness in healthy aging adults. Sedentary adults who exercise regularly can lead to an increase in brain blood flow to the hippocampus — the key brain region that is affected by Alzheimer’s disease. It’s important to know while physical exercise is associated with a selective or regional brain blood flow, it does no produce a change in global brain blood flow.

One limitation of the current study, Lee said, is that a very small group logged the most jogging time. Just 47 joggers put in more than four hours a week, and only 80 ran more than three times a week. These small numbers could have affected the comparisons and results, Lee said.

Ian PT said on 07 February 2012 As well as varying the distance you run, there are a number of variants to the pace which can spice up your fitness, and make it a bit more interesting once you have got into the basics of running.Try running 3 minutes a little slower than your normal pace, 2 minutes at your normal pace, and 1 minute faster than normal. You can do this in segments (i.e just for 6 minutes , or 12, 18 etc). If you're running outdoors, use lampposts as markers - run at your normal pace between two, than faster to the next, back to normal to the next post, then either faster or slower to the next and so on. You'll find time and distance flies!This needs a little confidence, but try short distances of running with your arms pointing out in front of you (though not where they obscure your view). This makes your legs work harder and will raise your heart rate.You'll see that the basic idea of these suggestions is to intersperse easier and harder spells. Basically this is Interval running. The great thing is you can keep making the run harder without the need to run more than 30 minutes.The word "hill" can sometimes be seen as a bad four-letter word by runners, but think of a hill as any short distance with an incline, such as a bridge, rather than as running up the Pennines. If you find an incline, try running up it for at least 30 seconds, then jog gently down. Do this 10 times and that's a quick workout with loads of strength and fitness gains. Report this content as offensive or unsuitable comment id 21499.