The gym is one of the favourite places to spend time for fitness freaks where free weights and exercise machines are two crucial ways to build muscle strength. If you want to gain muscle, lose fat and calories, or just improve your health, working out is a great way to accomplish all of these goals. However, the many advantages of running should persuade even the most sceptic people to give it a try. People love running for various reasons, from physical benefits to emotional pleasures. While we’re not urging you to stop going to the gym, we encourage you to try running.
Here are some amazing reasons why you should consider running as your workout:
1. Running burns crazy calories
300 calories are burned in a one-hour weight training session at the gym. As a personal trainer at Whole Body Fitness in Portland, Tammie Dubberly says a regular hour-long run burns nearly twice as many calories. According to research from the Medical College of Wisconsin and the V.A. Medical Centre, an hour on a “hard” treadmill clocked in at anything between 705 and 865 calories burnt. Stairs, rowers, and stationary bikes burnt considerably fewer calories than the treadmill.
2. You can run anywhere
In contrast to the confines of a gym, running will take you far further. There are no limits to where you may run. Fitzgerald claims that there are “races” in Antarctica and the Sahara Desert. Understandably, most men won’t go this far. However, taking a trip over the weekend won’t ruin your training schedule.
3. You can run at any time
The path is open at all times, and it never closes. There is no such thing as a wrong time to work out, says Erik Moen, founder of the Washington-based Corpore Sano Physical Therapy clinic.
4. Running can get you high
Running gives you a real rush: There’s growing evidence that when we run, our brains release endocannabinoids, which are cannabis-like compounds that keep us happy and hooked.
5. Running doesn’t require a commute
Even if you simply work out for an hour at the gym, travelling there and back takes another 30 minutes. According to Moen, you may begin running as soon as you walk outside your front door. In the end, you’ll be spending a lot of time in the vehicle anyhow. Then there’s the fact that you can run to work!
6. Your dog can run with you
Gyms don’t usually allow dogs to join in on the fun. They, on the other hand, are at home on the road. According to the University of Arizona studies, they even have endocannabinoid-fueled runner’s highs like their two-legged counterparts.
7. Running turns you into the Energizer bunny
Fitzgerald argues that running is an excellent cardiovascular exercise, making it easier to handle any given workload. “I can carry boxes all day if I’m helping a buddy move, for example.”
8. Running strengthens your bones
When you run, your bones and muscles are subjected to a tremendous stress level, unlike any other aerobic exercise that you may do in the gym. According to Jason Fitzgerald, the creator of Strength Running, swimming, cycling, and working out on the elliptical do not strengthen your bones. Osteoporosis and weak bones might occur if they are the sole activities you engage in.
9. Running fights off the common cold
Fitzgerald recommends a 30-minute run to boost the immune system and stave off a cold before it has a chance to spread. In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, those who engaged in aerobic exercise at least five days a week were 43 per cent less likely to get upper respiratory tract infections. The symptoms of colds were also less severe in runners, who had a lower risk of complications.
10. Running can help score your Vitamin D
Because individuals spend so much time inside and don’t receive enough exposure to the sun, they are deficient in vitamin D. According to a study published in the journal Nutrition Research, 41,6 per cent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. It’s possible that going for a run in the fresh air may lift your mood, keep you healthy, and perhaps help you avoid diabetes type 2.
11. Running’s social
“Gyms are calmer than libraries these days,” Dubberly says. On the other hand, the route is filled with people talking and laughing. Running is a social sport, regardless of whether you do it alone or as part of a group. Afterwards, it’s time to party!
12. Running’s perfect for any fitness level
Olympic weightlifting may not be a good fit for everyone. However, Janet Hamilton, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist with Running Strong in Atlanta, says that you may simply get up one morning and decide to go for a run. Plus, you won’t outgrow it even if it’s been decades. Every running exercise may be tailored to keep you from plateauing.
13. Running is never the same
Every run is unique, and it doesn’t have to be monotonous, contrary to what non-runners believe. Evans recommends various strategies to liven things up, such as running hills, tempo runs, intervals, or alternating between the road and the trail.
14. Running boosts your mood
Even if you don’t enjoy the runner’s high, jogging might improve your mood throughout the day. Even a short 30-minute run every morning for three weeks dramatically enhanced sleep quality, mental health, and focus throughout the day for participants in a 2012 Swiss research.
15. Running can help you live longer
As running improves physical and mental health, runners have been shown to have a higher quality of life than non-runners. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine tracked around 1,000 persons (aged 50 and older) over almost two decades. In comparison, just 66 per cent of the non-runners were still alive after the research.
