You see someone running on the sidewalk from your car as you’re driving to work in the morning. You’re asking yourself how someone has the energy or time to run in the morning. Who has the time to run when life is so hectic? After a long and stressful day, you’re driving home from work and see more runners on the sidewalk. With all the stress and energy you’re expending at work, you can’t even imagine finding it in you to run in the evening either. Unfortunately, when you get home, sit down with your takeout food, sit on your couch, regret your carbohydrate-heavy meal, cause heart palpitations, and watch television while you suffer from insomnia.
Does this sound like you? If so, then maybe it’s time to shift around time in your day to start running for health and fitness reasons. The people you see allocating time and energy in their day to run focus on their current long-term health. Every so often, they put on running bibs for charity or to challenge themselves in marathons. A life free of stress, insomnia, obesity could be yours, but you need to review these benefits of running for health and fitness.
You’re Prolonging Your Life
The people you see running before and after work are investing at least thirty minutes of their lives a day to prolong their lives. First of all, it’s no secret that running helps you lose weight. If you’re obese or overweight, you’re putting yourself at a higher risk of health issues. Some issues can come from heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes of which are connected to obesity. For some, gaining a couple of pounds doesn’t sound like a big deal. Some look at overweight people who don’t have health issues right now and use them as examples to validate not putting in the effort to work out.
However, the health issues will catch up to them, and they will catch up to you. This idea is especially true if fat is collecting around your waist. Waist fat is a red flag that, statistically, you’re going to suffer from health complications. The people you see running in the mornings and evenings might be putting themselves at a minor inconvenience by taking time out of their day to run, but they’re investing in longer life. They’ll have a longer life to do what they want to do, go to the places they want to go, see the things they want to see, and be with the people they love as long as they can.
You’re Running For Your Brain
When someone is running for their health and fitness, they’re also running for their mental health. Whether you are doing an early morning or nighttime run, these runners are doing wonders for their bodies, but they’re doing as much work for their minds. If you talk to any runner, you’ll hear them talk about a phenomenon known as a “runner’s high.”
A runner’s high is not the result of drugs; it’s the result of chemicals your body creates when it is working optimally. These feel-good chemicals are called endorphins. These endorphins are natural painkillers that keep you going. These happy chemicals make their way into your brain to combat anxiety, stress, depression, and even insomnia. These chemicals revitalize your brain, but the cardiovascular exercise you’re getting from the act of running creates more brain cells that fight off cognitive decline and boost your brainpower.
Running Boosts Your Self-Esteem
Finally, running for health and fitness is good for your brain and body, but it’s also good for your confidence. You’ll be the person who wakes up early in the morning because you no longer suffer from insomnia. You can get up an hour earlier now because you’re not tossing and turning at night. You’re no longer making unhealthy food choices because running has you making better food choices that limit sugars and refined carbohydrates.
You’ll be the person out there in the mornings and evenings, inspiring others to run with you. Who knows? Maybe you can put on the running bibs and challenge yourself in marathons. It doesn’t take much to change your life from the person you were before you read this. Slap on some running shoes and go.
