It’s commonly acknowledged thing that running is excellent for your health and well-being. It helps in building a stronger heart and in burning those extra pounds. But many of us also know that running is hard, so majority of us are avoiding it at all costs.
But did you know that even running for 5 minutes a day can make a very big difference on your overall health and well-being? I’m sure that running for just 5 minutes doesn’t sound that scary. It’s doable, at least for most of us.
Keep reading and you’ll find out what will happen if you start running for 5 minutes every day.
1) You’ll reduce the risk of dying from all causes and cardiovascular disease
According to the scientific studies, even 5 to 10 minutes of jogging a day, at the slow pace, reduces the risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular diseases. It’s a well-known fact that running is excellent for the entire cardiovascular system. If these two things are not a good reason to start running 5 minutes a day immediately, I don’t know what is.
2) You’ll leave three years longer
Like reducing a risk of dying isn’t enough! Previous study has also determined that people who run regularly, even as little as 5 to 10 minutes a day, prolong their lives by approximately 3 years. Are you still sitting and reading this article, instead of putting on your running shoes?
3) You’ll improve your mental functions
If you start jogging for 5 minutes a day, you’ll be more effective and you’ll manage to do more for less time. What’s more, according to one study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, jogging improves mental functioning even in those with severe intellectual disability. Some schools are aware of the importance of early morning physical activity on children’s ability to learn afterwards. So they’re implementing early morning exercises.
4) You’ll reverse insulin resistance
Jogging can reverse insulin resistance, even in people who already have diabetes. The reason for that is that muscles use more glucose than any other tissue. So active muscles will burn their storage of glucose for energy and then they’ll take glucose from the bloodstream. That’s how exercise lowers blood sugar level. The more muscle you build up, the more glucose it can burn to control your blood glucose levels.
5) You’ll improve your blood pressure
That’s a no-brainer. It’s a common fact, that jogging can improve blood pressure and healthy blood pressure reduces risk of heart attack and stroke. Remember it’s enough to run only 5 minutes!
6) You’ll feel better
Running is not only great for your body, but also for your mood. It’s a well-known fact that people who run regularly have a ‘runner’s high’. It’s even scientifically proven that running improves mood immediately afterwards.
7) You’ll improve your sleeping pattern
According to some research, daily morning running lead to significantly better sleeping patterns in a group of healthy teenagers. So if you’re having sleeping problems, it’s a good idea to start with morning 5-minutes running.
8) Weight-Loss Benefits
Jogging is an excellent way to lose weight. You'll burn approximately 250 calories in a half-hour jog and about 500 calories after one hour. As you burn 3,500 calories over the course of a week or more without increasing your food intake, you'll enjoy the benefit of losing 1 pound of fat. To boost this benefit of jogging, you can follow a calorie-reduced diet that adds to your weight loss. A reduction of 250 to 500 calories each day will help you lose 1/2 to 1 pound more each week, in addition to the weight you lose jogging.
9) Jogging Helps Prevent Some Cancers
Researchers strongly agree that jogging is helpful in the prevention of some cancers. This is achieved by the better oxygenation of the entire body while we are jogging. Cells that do not get adequate supplies of oxygen have been known to mutate more vigorously, often turning malignant. Jogging increases the supply of oxygen to all parts of the body, helping prevent some cancers.
Now that you know how beneficial running is give it a try. You don’t need to run for miles and to feel exhausted afterwards. Start running for 5 minutes every day and soon you’ll improve your overall health and well-being.
