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Running, like walking is one of those physical activities that are done regularly by athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.  However, it has become even more popular recently as people find ways to improve their health and overall fitness. 

Nowadays, all or any physical activities are encouraged by medical professionals, and running or walking is high on those lists for good reasons.   Research shows that running for less than ten (10) minutes per day at a relatively low speed (more or less than 6 miles per hour -mph) can noticeably reduce the risks of death from all-cause and cardiovascular disease (Lee et. al, 2014). 

As such, as a leisure activity or as part of a fitness routine, running has been shown to have substantial attainable mortality benefits.  Therefore, this article will explore some of the health benefits of running, especially as it relates to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risks, and how you can incorporate it into your fitness routine and experience its physical and overall health benefits.  Let’s discuss!

The Discussion

Running, while may be considered a simple leisure-time activity, is a great way to not only burn calories but to improve one’s health in both the short and long term.  In fact, research has shown that physical activities including running can have substantial health benefits on one’s mortality risks. 

To this extent, in 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Government released an evidence-based physical activity guideline that recommended that individuals performed at least one hundred and fifty (150) minutes of moderate-intensity or seventy-five (75) minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobics activity per week or an equivalent combination of both (WHO, 2010; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). 

Additionally, while both running and walking can provide similar benefits, research indicates that running burns more calories than simply walking.  This is because walking is usually performed at moderate – intensity while running, at a more vigorous pace (Lee, 2011; Williams and Thompson, 2012).  Research also denotes that running can lower one’s risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, regardless of gender, body mass index (BMI), health conditions, smoking status or alcohol consumption (Lee et. al, 2014). 

As such, in this article, we will discuss two (2) of the main benefits of running namely, reducing the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality as well as the improvement of one’s overall health, especially as it relates to blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profile.  Further, the article will outline five (5) ways in which you can incorporate running into your fitness repertoire for weight loss and overall well-being. You can read more on the benefits of walking as well as how you can incorporate it as part of your fitness routine in this article:

• So you wanna walk? Here are 5 ways to do it for weight loss!

 Two (2) Major Health Benefits of Running

• Reduce the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
• Improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profile.

Reduce the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

This was observed in an Aerobic Centre longitudinal study of a sample population of non-Hispanic whites, who were college-educated and of middle to upper-socio-economic background (Blair SN, et al. 1989).  The total number of participants was categorized into two (2) main groups with fifty-five thousand, one hundred thirty-seven (55,137) being analyzed for all-cause mortality and fifty-two thousand, nine hundred and forty-one (52,941) for cardiovascular mortality.  

The final sample size of participants for the ‘all-cause mortality’ group was reached after the researchers eliminated those who had health conditions, including cancer or less than one year of mortality risk due to underlying health conditions.  Further, women represented over fourteen thousand, three hundred and thirty-five participants (14,335 – 26%). Additionally, the participant’s ages range from eighteen (18) to one hundred (100) years with the mean age being forty-four (44) years of age.  The study was conducted over a twenty-eight (28) year period (1974 – 2002).

The participants’ running and jogging activities were assessed at baseline via a physical activity questionnaire which included questions about duration, distance, frequency and speed as they pertain to the performing of these activities.  Based on the responses, the participants were further subdivided into two (2) groups – runners and non-runners.  Runners were considered those who responded to all four (4) major questions (duration, distance, frequency and speed) while non-runners were those who did not respond to any of the running questions (Lee et. al, 2014).

Other physical activities that were considered included cycling, swimming, aerobic dance, walking, as well as other sports-related activities.  Additionally, clinical assessments were done on the participants including blood glucose and cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI).  A maximal treadmill test was also performed to measure the participant’s cardio-respiratory fitness.

As it relates to mortality, the participants were followed over the years of the study (1974-2002).  The risk of mortality was measured from baseline to the death of the participants or up to December 31, 2003.  The national index was then used to measure mortality for those who lived beyond December 2003. 

The results of the study showed that runners had a 30% and 45% lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, regardless of age, gender and health conditions etc.   On the other hand, not running at all was equivalent to hypertension, which accounted for 16% of all-cause mortality and 25% of cardiovascular mortality.

Even running for less than fifty-one (51) minutes per week showed a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death mortality when compared with non-runners.  Nonetheless, these benefits were similar for both persons who ran for longer periods or less than fifty-one (51) minutes per week. However, all runners across the different groups had a reduced risk of all-cause mortality when compared to non-runners.  

Further, non-runners were observed to have an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality with individuals who ran consistently showing the most significant mortality benefits (29%) with a 50% lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (50%).

The benefits of lower mortality risk of runners were also observed in a Heart Study from Copenhagen City.  The research showed a reduced mortality risk in over one thousand eight hundred and Seventy-eight (1,878) joggers when compared to non-joggers using similar parameters as in the study above (Schnohr et al, 2000).  The researchers also suggest that even less persistent runners showed some mortality benefits when compared to individuals who never run (never runners). 

Nonetheless, persistent individuals experienced the most mortality benefits (Lee et al, 2014).  Further, lower mortality risk was found in individuals who ran for more than one hundred and fifty (150) minutes per week when compared to individuals who ran under one hundred and fifty (150) minutes per week.  Importantly, no significant benefits were seen in individuals who ran for a longer duration such as One Hundred and Seventy-six (176) minutes per week.  The mortality benefits were only slightly higher. Other studies have even observed lower to no mortality benefits at longer duration or vigorous intensity. 

Additionally, a study by a group of Harvard Alumni, reported a slightly higher death rate in persons who perform vigorous sporting activities of greater than 180 minutes per week in comparison to those who performed these activities for less than one hundred and eighty (180) minutes per week (Paffenbarger et al, 1986).  Additionally, research also shows no additional benefits of mortality for physical activities greater than fifty (50) minutes per day (Wen et al, 2011).

Recent studies suggest that excessive endurance sports have the potential to induce adverse cardiovascular conditions such as arrhythmias and myocardial damage (Andersen et al, 2013; Claessen et al, 2011; Neilan et al, 2006; O’Keefee et al, 2012).  On the other hand, some studies show a linear relationship between running and cardiovascular health, as such, more benefits were observed at higher duration (Williams, 2010; Chomistek et al, 2012).  As such, more studies are still needed as it relates to higher duration and overall cardiovascular mortality risk. 

Nonetheless, these studies do show a positive correlation between persistent running as a leisure time activity and all-cause and cardiovascular disease.  Importantly, the more was not seen in most cases as the merrier. 

Lower blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profile

Research also shows that vigorous-intensity activities, which are a classical description of running, can improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profile (Houmard et al, 2004; Kraus et al, 2002; Whelton et al, 2002). Observational evidence also suggests that running is beneficial in the prevention of some chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, strokes, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol (Williams, 2010; Chomistek et al, 2012; Williams, PT, 2008). 

Research also shows an improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness by 30% for runners in comparison to non-runners.  As such, the mortality benefits of running may be due to an improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness.  Nonetheless, other factors such as genotype (genetic makeup of an individual) are needed to provide more definitive results (Lee et. al, 2014).

Non-running vigorous activity, as well as moderate walking, was also observed to be associated with a lower risk of hypertension, and high cholesterol as well as the onset of diabetes mellitus.  The performance duration of these exercises was based on the US Government’s physical activity guidelines for health, which is at least one hundred and fifty (150) minutes per week (Williams and Thompson, 2012).

Five (5) Ways to run for weight loss:

 1. Start slow and remain consistent

Running helps the body burn a lot more calories than walking or most other types of cardiovascular exercises (Hamner et al, 2010).  This is because running can maximize more muscle fibers than high-intensity workouts (HIIT). As such, the body continues to burn calories even after the workout is complete.  However, it is best to start slow and build up gradually when you have incorporated running as part of your fitness routine.

This is especially crucial if you have been sedentary for a while. This strategy is also applicable to other physical activities beyond running.  The aim is to start to get the body moving and not necessarily to hit those desired targets on day one.  If done otherwise, you run the risk of causing injury to your body which can give rise to several factors, two of which are, slowing down your progress, as you would have to stop to heal or causing you to lose motivation as your workout starts to appear like a grand chore.  

The strategy of starting slow is also backed by research which indicates that even moderate-intensity activity can benefit weight loss and the prevention of weight gain (Donnelly, et al. 2009). So, take it nice and easy, especially when just starting. 

Further, a Harvard study also shows that running at least 5mph – 12 min/mile can burn up to two hundred and forty (240) calories for a person weighing one hundred and twenty-five (125) pounds, two hundred and ninety-eight (298) calories for a one hundred and fifty-five (155) pound individual and three hundred and fifty-five (355) calories for a person weighing over one hundred and eighty-five (185) pounds (health.harvard.edu).  

Additionally, walking or jogging for less than ten (10) minutes can burn one hundred and eighty (180), two hundred and twenty-three (223) and two hundred and sixty-six (266) calories respectively as per the above-mentioned body weights.

2. Warm up with light walking

Warm-up prepares the body for the treacherous tasks it is about to undertake.  As such, it revs up the cardiovascular system by increasing the body’s temperature which in turn increases the body’s blood flow to the muscles and facilitates maximum muscle fiber recruitment.   Warm-up also helps to stimulate the central nervous system as well as helps to prevent the muscles from becoming sore, thus reducing the risks of injury.  Therefore, just don’t start to run when undertaking a running routine, do a little light walking and allow the body to gradually acclimatize to the activity to be executed. 

As such, for warm-up, you can do a light walk for about five (5) to ten (10) minutes, gradually increasing the pace of the walk as you near the designated minute set for the warm-up.

3. Cool down with light walking and stretching

Cooling down on the other hand puts the body into recovery mode, thus, allowing the heart rate to return to its resting or recovery rate. 

Cool-down is usually categorized into two (2) broad categories – active and passive.  An active cool-down is characterized by performing some type of activity, usually of a low to moderate intensity such as walking or dynamic stretching that involves some contraction of the muscles.  On the other hand, passive cool-down involves no activity, so one would just allow the body to rest (Hooren and Peake, 2018). So, you would just complete your running routine and just go sit on the couch or continue with your daily activities.

Research has shown that of the two(2), active cool-down may be more beneficial in some instances as it helps to promote post-exercise recovery as well as faster recovery of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.  It also allows the body’s blood pressure and sugar levels to be restored as well as expediting the rate of recovery of lactate in the blood but not necessarily a significant reduction of muscle soreness (Hooren and Peake, 2018).

As it relates to running, cool-down activities would be similar to warming up, as you can gradually reduce the pace of running as you get closer to the end of your routine, allowing the heart rate to gradually reduce to normal/recovery pace.  You can also perform some static or isometric stretches to help the body and muscles to further relax, thus realigning the body’s muscle fibers. These types of stretches, while passive, can help the body elongate its used muscles.

4. Add a little speed and intensity

Adding intensity to your running routine will help the body to burn even more calories due to the expending of more energy.  According to research, sufficient high intensity (relative to one’s physical ability) is a key factor for exercise to be more efficient as a medicine (Ito, 2019).  In fact, the most recent guidelines suggest high-intensity activity (HIIT) as an alternative protocol to improve one’s aerobic capacity as well as cardiac function.  Additionally, high-intensity training (HIIT) with running can improve overall skeletal muscles, cardiac function, respiration and overall quality of life (Ito, 2019).  

A word of caution is to make your high-intensity training (HIIT) routine short and sweet. Unlike standard cardiovascular aerobics, which burns more calories, performing high-intensity training (HIIT) for a long duration can result in the body cannibalizing its muscles.  As such, the body will start using its muscle for fuel instead of fat. 

Therefore, incorporating (a HIIT) routine into your running would be something like this – running at a fast past for a minute or two then slowing down, bringing the heart rate into recovery mode for at least 2-3 minutes and then repeating.  The recommendation is that the entire routine should not exceed thirty (30) minutes which includes both cool down and recovery.

5. Mix it up!

Well, we all know the saying; variety is the spice of life.  The same goes for your exercise routine.  As such, instead of just running every day, try to make running a part of your regular exercise routine or in place of your standard cardiovascular or anaerobic session.  This will allow the body to use up more muscle fiber and thus work all the muscles of the body.  

Additionally, adding other activities to your fitness routine will help to keep you motivated and inspired to continue.  Further, it will help you to get beyond the dreaded plateau, allowing you to reach your stated goals even faster. So, mix it up a bit!

Illustrative Summary

Here is an illustrative summary of the benefits of running as part of an exercise routine as well as five (5) strategies to incorporate to help with weight loss of general fitness.

Let’s Sum Up!

Running has become a mainstream workout, not only in the athletic realm but among health and wellness enthusiasts.  However, while both walking and running have been cited by research as having similar benefits, research does show that running burns more calories than walking, especially in a shorter period. 

Additionally, running is not only beneficial for your physique, but for your overall health.  Research denotes that running consistently can help to promote cardiac health such as lowering blood pressure, mobilizing the central nervous system to get rid of waste from the body, managing blood sugar, and respiratory health among others.

While there are numerous ways one can incorporate running into their fitness plan for weight loss, this article suggests five (5) strategies which can serve as viable options.  This includes starting slow and remaining consistent for long-term, desired results,  warming up with a light walk as well as cooling down with some effective stretches.

Other strategies include adding some level of intensity via high-intensity routines (HIIT), which according to research, makes for a more efficient workout, cooling down to bring the body’s heart rate to recovery mode and removing toxins, especially in the form of lactic acid.  Finally, mixing it up – makes running a component of your regular fitness routine to reap maximum muscle fiber recruitment and a physique you can certainly admire.

So, get your fit on! Will you?  While you are at it, why not take a look at some of these posts which can further help you on your fitness journey? Go, get your fit on!

• So you wanna walk? Here are 5 ways to do it for weight loss!
• 5 Best Exercises to Tone and Strengthen the Thighs at Home
• Don’t tuck it in! – Here are 5 Exercises to Reduce Belly fat, Strengthen and tone the Abs at home.
• Exercise – It is more than just for weight loss!
• Exercise and Mental health – is there a positive link?

Editor’s note: Article updated: July 9, 2024.

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