Must-see For Beginners! Thorough Explanation Of The Effects And Attractiveness Of Running Training
Jogging / running
A long-running running boom. Running has now become established in Japan as one of the lifestyles beyond the boom.
Many participants gathered at the citizen marathons held all over the country every year, and it is not uncommon to see people running daily in the city.
Behind the scenes, many are noticing the changes that can be achieved by continuing to run.
We will thoroughly explain the effects and charms of running, which have been found to be effective not only for the body but also for the mind.
Table of contents
What makes running different from other sports
Running effect 1: Refreshing with the effect of serotonin
Effect of running 2: Effect of stress relief and idea creation
Running effect 3: Running is the royal road to dieting
Running Effect 4: Correct form for body without stiff shoulders and back pain
Effect of running 5: Difference in physical strength when aging
Running keeps your mind and body in balance
What makes running different from other sports
Running is a sport that anyone can start at any age. The location can be anywhere, such as a park, road, or riverbed near your home.
Basically, it is a competition that you tackle by yourself, so you are free to participate in any race and run at any pace, and there is an advantage that even beginners can easily start.
There are four main types of people who work on running: athletes and citizen runners, people who are on a diet, and people who enjoy running purely.
Athletes are some people who run to improve their time with a view to winning top prizes in domestic marathon competitions and participating in international races.
Next, there are citizen runners who are not athletes but who run for their own time and participate in marathon events.
Many citizen runners who continue to practice to participate in the full marathon are aiming to achieve “Sub 3” and “Sub 4”.
“Sub 3” is less than 3 hours in a full marathon, and “Sub 4” is less than 4 hours. “Sub 4” is the time that even advanced runners aim for, and “Sub 3” is the time that is close to that of athletes.
If you’re neither an athlete nor a citizen runner, you often think of running as someone who works for diet and health.
There have been a certain number of people who started running for the purpose of dieting. As a result, many people have not only succeeded in dieting but also have a healthy body.
Furthermore, in the running boom that has continued for more than a dozen years, more and more people are enjoying running purely, not for the purpose of dieting.
For example, in Tokyo, many running spots are featured, including the “Imperial Palace Run,” which runs around the Imperial Palace, which runs 5km per lap. Many people who are doing “Imperial Palace Run” enjoy training, go to the competition, and aim to finish the race without worrying about the record.
In addition, many people do “morning runs” to run early in the morning to relieve stress and maintain mental health.
These two types of people can be seen in the increasing number of female runners in recent years. The appeal of running is that you can work on it according to your purpose and enjoy it freely, which is different from other sports.
In addition, the appeal of running is that you don’t have to avoid it just because you are not good at exercising and you don’t have motor nerves. The running speed is generally considered to run 1km in about 5 minutes.
However, how fast you run is not important at all. It is important to keep running slowly at the same speed.
This is the same even when running a marathon, and it can be said that running while having fun is meaningful.
If you think you’re slow to run, there’s nothing wrong with starting a run.
If you have a desire to run, anyone can work on it immediately and acquire the correct skills, and the results will follow.
Of course, walking and jogging, which are slower than running, are the same in that anyone can work on them.
However, the effects of running are different from the two. It has also been found that its effects extend not only to improving the body, but also to improving mental health and quality of life.
I will introduce the effects of running that have been revealed in recent research.
Running effect 1: Refreshing with the effect of serotonin
The positive impact of running on mental health is one of the benefits of running that many experts and doctors have pointed out in recent years.
Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters that stabilizes the mind. It has a healing effect and is sometimes called “happiness hormone”. It is a substance that is activated by using muscles called anti-gravity muscles.
Exercises that use anti-gravity muscles refer to so-called jumping exercises. Running that includes not only running but also jumping with one foot.
Running with continuous jumps is an exercise that actively uses anti-gravity muscles.
Anti-gravity muscles are muscles that support your standing posture against gravity, and work to soften the impact of landing during running.
Effectively promotes serotonin secretion while training anti-gravity muscles. Furthermore, by continuing rhythmic exercise for a long time, serotonin is secreted in large quantities in the brain.
The effects of serotonin are not limited to mental healing.
For example, suppose someone is doing desk work all day long.
I was tired from facing the computer from morning till night, but when I ran, serotonin was secreted, and my head and body were surprisingly refreshed. In addition to being able to change your mood, you can also recover from fatigue and get a sense of satisfaction.
Serotonin is also attracting attention in the medical field. Depressed patients are depressed due to lack of serotonin in their bodies.
Running can activate serotonin and relieve depression.
You may also be able to maintain a mental state that does not cause depression. Many hospitals are implementing programs that incorporate stretching and running into the rehabilitation of depressed patients.
Aerobic exercise is also popular in exercise and sports, but typical aerobic exercise other than running includes walking, cycling, and swimming.
However, running is the only one that involves jumping exercises. Running is the only aerobic exercise that uses anti-gravity muscles to activate serotonin.
However, if you do not run in the correct form, it will not be effective.
By running in the correct form, anti-gravity muscles are used and serotonin is activated. Let’s feel this healing effect by running.
Effect of running 2: Effect of stress relief and idea creation
Let’s list other mental effects of running.
Stress relief is a big effect. People are left with unsolved problems in their heads, and when they accumulate, they become very stressed.
However, if you run under stress, you will be able to separate your mind from your worries while you are running.
One of the good things about running is that you can get rid of stress while running.
Of course, the temporary release does not solve the problem.
However, another effect will occur at this time. While running, the problems that have accumulated in my head are sorted out.
The mechanism is that running improves blood flow, stimulates the hippocampus and frontal lobe in the brain, and improves brain function.
If your mind is organized, you may be able to objectively re-examine the problem and eventually find clues to solve the problem.
In fact, many creative people know that their minds are tidied up while they’re running, and they’re running hoping for the benefits.
Curiously, new ideas come to me while I’m running, and I come up with work arrangements.
It is said that the hippocampus and frontal lobe, which control memory, are stimulated by running, and the inside of the head is organized and new ideas come to mind.
Also, my running brain, which can run at my own pace, is in a very relaxed state. Furthermore, the secretion of serotonin mentioned above makes it easier for new ideas to come out in the head.
There are other reasons why running can be stress-relieving. That is, running is a sport that is easier to achieve than other sports.
Of course, if you start running and complete the full marathon for the first time, you will get a great sense of accomplishment.
However, even if you don’t do your best, you can still get a sense of accomplishment just by participating in a relay race with a close member and running a short distance of several kilometers.
For that matter, even simple goals such as running the distance you decide in your daily practice can give you a sense of accomplishment if you achieve them.
There may not be many things that give you a sense of accomplishment in your daily work.
Rather, some people find it more normal to be under stress.
Even in such a state, if you run, you can easily get a sense of accomplishment for running, and in most cases it will lead to relief of stress.
Many people say that the usual way to relieve stress is to go out for a drink and sing at karaoke, but what is worrisome is the risk of harming your health, such as deterioration of liver function if you drink too much. By comparison, running is a healthy and mentally healthy way to relieve stress.
If you’re a runner, there are probably other situations where you can feel the mental benefits, and there are countless.
The ability to easily relieve stress is one of the unknown effects of running that only those who have experienced it know.
Running effect 3: Running is the royal road to dieting
So far, I have explained the mental effects of running. From here, I will introduce the effects on the body that can be obtained only by running.
First, a classic diet. Walking and jogging that run slowly also have a certain effect on dieting, but if you want to greatly reduce obesity and lose weight, running with exercise intensity has a great effect.
Not only does running burn fat efficiently through aerobic exercise, but people who haven’t been exercising before can gain muscle mass when they’re just starting to run, which reduces their body fat percentage.
In addition, it has the effect of reducing visceral fat that leads to lifestyle-related diseases, so if you want a healthy diet, you may want to start running.
Lightening your body is an easy-to-understand change that occurs as you continue running. However, there is another unexpected change.
It’s a diet. When you get into the habit of running, it’s junk food that you don’t eat.
The reason for this is that running causes the body to eat what the body wants, rather than what the tongue wants.
This is because food preferences change while you don’t waste your time.
You don’t want to eat junk food after running for a while.
Effect of running 5: Difference in physical strength when aging
The interesting thing about running is that you can enjoy it in various ways even as you grow older.
It is generally said that human muscle strength peaks in the twenties, and after that, it declines as we get older.
However, many citizen runners set their own records in their 50s, despite their weak muscles.
Even in the 60s and 70s, there are many people who continue to run with the goal of how old they can continue to run.
In fact, some studies confirm that older people are more physically fit than they used to be.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology investigated the tendency of physical fitness and athletic ability of the elderly.
Among them, there is an item that investigated the distance that elderly people walk in 6 minutes, and in the 2015 survey, men aged 70 to 74 were about 600 m. The woman was about 560m.
It is not much different from the walking speed of adults. Not only that, but over the last 20 years, walking distance has increased by tens of meters for all age groups, 65-69, 70-74, and 75-79.
In addition, it is said that many elderly people have joined sports clubs these days, and the number of elderly people who have the physical strength necessary for running is steadily increasing.
It is important not to get injured in order to keep running even as you get older. In order to avoid injury, it is essential to warm up well and run in the correct form.
As you grow older and lose strength, the muscles in and around your joints become stiff.
If you do not take any measures, you will not be able to run in the correct form, so it is desirable to make stretching a habit to keep your muscles flexible.
Conversely, if you can maintain a good posture and have the flexibility of your back muscles, you can keep running no matter how many times you have.
You can start running at any age. Originally, if you start by about 30 years old, you will get a big effect in the future, but it is a sport that you can start from 60 years old or 70 years old.
It is important to make running a habit, as it makes a big difference in your life when you get older.
People in their 80s are usually weakened without any exercise. If you do not move because you are weak, your body will age rapidly.
Elderly people also have weak bones, so there is a considerable risk of a broken leg if they fall.
That triggers you to become bedridden, and your muscles and physical strength suddenly decline.
On the other hand, people in their 80s who are running are fine.
Even if the pace of running is slow, the difference is different compared to people who are not moving.
It won’t fall over easily. I think that many elderly people walk every day even if they are not running, but the effects obtained by walking and running are quite different.
If you have a habit of walking, try running for just 5 minutes.
As mentioned earlier, when running with jumping exercise is added to the exercise, the anti-gravity muscles are trained, a higher exercise effect is obtained, and it is also good for mental health.
It’s a good idea to get into the habit of running now so that you can stay fit as you grow older.
Running keeps your mind and body in balance
As we have seen, running has been found to have a positive effect on the mind and body.
The effects range from mental aspects such as the secretion of the “happiness hormone” serotonin, stress relief, and idea creation to dieting and relief of stiff shoulders and back pain.
Considering these together, the great attraction of running is that it keeps the balance of mind and body.
Running that allows you to spend every day in a healthy state of mind and body. It can be said that runners who continue to work on running are aware of its appeal.
In addition, the number of people jogging or running more than twice a week has not decreased significantly.
In other words, the number of runners who run regularly has not decreased so much.
In fact, there are times when the number of runners is increasing. Those in their 60s and 70s.
The total number is not so large, but it has been increasing since 2012 (Heisei 24).
Behind the increase in the number of elderly runners, I think people in the age group facing long-term care problems are paying attention to running in order to spend their old age as well as possible.
If you think about it, the act of running is very simple. Transportation has developed as it does today only recently in human history.
Originally, walking or running was the most common means of transportation.
If so, you may be able to get back to your basics by running in modern life.
It is more effective if you run in nature or in a scenic spot. Let’s work on running and feel its effect and charm.
