Runners seem to have lots of determination, enthusiasm and energy. Maybe you've watched groups of runners, joggers and walkers going by and asked: Why can't I do that? Finally, after weeks of procrastination, on a warm spring day you lace up a pair of gym shoes and follow the open road.
Perhaps you start running to tap into the benefits. You may want to get fit, lose weight, relieve stress or to prepare for competition. Running isn't as easy as it looks, but you stick to it. If you are a novice, plan to take a long walk, with short bursts of running, and walk long stretches to recover. Week by week, mile by mile, you build muscle, trim off fat, and improve your distance. You develop peace of mind and confidence in yourself. When someone at the coffee shop asks what you do, you can answer proudly: I'm a runner.
Here are 8 benefits of running. These benefits give you lots of reasons to take up running, even if you don't think of yourself as an athlete. Running will motivate you and make life better.
- No equipment is needed except a good, well-fitting pair of shoes.
- You can run at home and on your travels, at any time of the day on your own schedule. No expensive gym membership is required.
- Running trains your whole body, upper body muscles as well as legs. It builds your heart, and develops your aerobic capacity.
- Your stamina and endurance improve.
- Almost no other sport burns calories and helps you lose weight like running. Being out of shape is no excuse to stay on the sidelines. And the less you weigh, the less work your body has to do.
- You motivate and challenge yourself when you achieve progressive goals. You try to reach a longer distance or a better time. And with time and training, you could run a marathon or a half marathon.
- Running makes you feel good about yourself. The "runner's high" is a reward for your efforts, an emotional response triggered by those brain chemicals called endorphins. Runners experience euphoria, the feeling of being in the flow, as they relax, forget about time, and move with confidence.
- Runners are a social community of people who support and motivate each other. You'll meet interesting new friends. You might join runners to raise money for charity and do some good in your town.
If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run. ~ John Bingham
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