Believers hail it as a cheap, easy way to stay in shape, tone up, lose weight, boost brain health and mood and even increase lifespan. Critics see it as a painful, tedious and boring way to exercise.
Running yields a bevy of health benefits, from improving your cardiovascular health to lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure and revving up your metabolism.
Recent research finds that running as little as five minutes a day can cut your risk of cardiovascular disease by almost half. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that running as little as five to 10 minutes daily—even at slow speeds less than six miles per hour—is enough to reduce the risk of mortality, compared with not running.
Convinced? Good. Now, your job is to make running feel as good, as easy and as pleasurable as possible. And our job is to tell you how:
Watch your posture. You’ll run more efficiently—and sidestep injuries—with proper form. “Keep your shoulders back to prevent slouching, and raise your head to the horizon, so you’re not looking down,” says fitness expert Joel Harper, author of Mind Your Body: 4 Weeks to a Leaner, Healthier Life. You’re better off slowing your pace and having good form than running faster with poor form, he says.
Be relaxed. Relaxing your shoulders and hands helps saves energy, giving you power where you need it—in your legs and feet. Your arms should be bent at about 90 degrees, with the motion coming from the shoulder, not the forearms.
Switch it up. Running the same old route gets boring and old real fast. So does running the same exact number of miles each time. Go out and explore different neighborhoods or sights, and mix up your mileage. It’ll feel new each time you do it!
