We all know that running can have huge health benefits, but have you ever wondered what 30 minutes of running does to your body? A fantastic way to stay in shape, not only does running help improve your cardiovascular health, burn calories and boost your circulation, it can also improve your mental health.
Whether you prefer to jog outdoors or like to track your running progress via a treadmill (if so, check out our guide to the best treadmills for home use (opens in a new tab)), lacing up your running shoes every day has a plethora of health benefits, including better blood pressure and improved digestion.
So if you want to find out what running 30 minutes every day can do for your health, read on to find out how many calories it can burn and the various health benefits that come with it, from strengthening your bones to improving your health. of your mental health. .
burn calories
Exercise is great for our health, and the good news is that pounding the pavements can give you a full body workout. Running can also make you sweat seriously, and even if you stick to a slow pace, you’ll still burn calories.
The number of calories you burn will depend on a few different factors, including your height and weight, but you can burn around 220-400 calories in just 30 minutes.
The best fitness trackers (opens in a new tab) and smartwatches can be useful tools for monitoring how many calories you’re burning during your run (although their accuracy is hit-and-miss, so use them as a rough guide for things like calorie estimation.)
Strengthen the bones
Regular runners will know that a vigorous jog can be as hard on your legs as a weight training session at the gym, but does that mean that 30 minutes of running has muscle-building benefits?
“Continuous running for 30 minutes each day provides a fairly weak stimulus to the neuromuscular system compared to other types of activities such as resistance training, so strength gains are small at best,” explains Richard Blagrove, lecturer in physiology at Loughborough University. “For example, in our training study with teenage runners (opens in a new tab) who ran less than 30 minutes each day, there was no change in peak or explosive strength in a group that had just run for 10 weeks.
Richard Blagrove is a lecturer in physiology at Loughborough University. Richard’s extensive coaching and advising work with distance runners inspired his doctoral research at Northumbria University, which investigated the usefulness of strength-based exercise in mid- and long-distance runners.
However, that doesn’t mean your daily run won’t result in any gains, especially if you’re just starting out.
“These runners had coaching training. In people who have never run before and start running almost daily, there will be some (small) strength improvements in the first few weeks,” Blagrove adds.
Improve cardiovascular health
It’s no secret that running is a surefire way to improve your cardiovascular health, but a study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (opens in a new tab) found that running, even from 5 to 10 minutes a day, at slow speeds, such as 6 mph, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease.
Not only that, but running is also a drug-free approach to lowering blood pressure. A study from the Journal Hypertension (opens in a new tab) showed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise during the day can help lower blood pressure in overweight older people.
Better mental health
There are many studies that show that jogging can do wonders for your mental health, but the most recent study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (opens in a new tab) shows that even a 10-minute run can improve mood.
“It summarizes trials of both acute and regular running interventions and suggests that a single running episode between 10 and 60 minutes improves mood and alleviates anxiety in sedentary volunteers and existing runners,” says Clare Stevinson, Lecturer in Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University. “Regular running interventions often led to improvements in mental health outcomes in healthy adults and those with mental illness.”
Clare Stevinson is a Lecturer in Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University. Clare holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology (University of Leicester) and an MSc in Exercise and Sports Psychology (University of Exeter).
Aid in weight loss
Many people struggle to maintain their weight, but along with a healthy diet, moderate aerobic exercise, such as running, can be a very effective way to maintain and lose weight (if that’s what you’re looking to achieve). TO DO).
A study conducted by the University of Copenhagen (opens in a new tab) showed that 30 minutes of daily training led to the same weight and body mass loss as training for 60 minutes a day. In the study, men who exercised for 30 minutes a day lost 3.6 kg over three months, while those who exercised for a full hour lost only 2.7 kg.
Better sleep
Some runners report sleeping better when they incorporate a run into their day. Studies to support the link between better rest and your daily jog. In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (opens in a new tab) found that 75 minutes of running (or 150 minutes of walking) each week eliminates the consequences that poor sleep can have on your mortality.
Researchers believe this is because moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow wave or deep sleep people experience. It’s an essential process that helps the body and mind regenerate, says the John Hopkins Center For Sleep (opens in a new tab), which would explain the range of health benefits. However, avoid running too close to bedtime, as those feel-good endorphins that make you feel alert will impact your ability to wind down closer to bedtime.
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