.jpg "A male jogger jogging along the beach")
“Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.” – Charles Schulz, Peanuts
In my last article I discussed why you might want to consider doing more jogging this summer. One of the reasons I put forward was that jogging has many health benefits. In this article I am going to discuss these health benefits in greater detail.
1) IMPROVED CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS:- Cardiovascular fitness (also known as cardiorespiratory endurance or aerobic fitness) refers to how efficient the heart, lungs and vascular system (the vessels that carry blood and lymph through the body) are at delivering oxygen to the muscles that need it and also how efficient these muscles become at using the oxygen. As your cardiovascular fitness improves your lung capacity increases meaning that you can take in more oxygen with each breath. Your heart’s stroke volume also increases meaning that with each pump it can transport more blood and oxygen through the vascular system to the muscles. Finally, your muscles become more efficient at absorbing oxygen meaning that they can take more oxygen molecules from the blood.
The overall effect is that with each breath you take in more oxygen, with each pump your heart transports more oxygen to your muscles and finally your muscles are able to utilise more of this oxygen. With improved cardiovascular fitness comes further health benefits such as improved endurance, reduced risk of heart disease and reduced body fat (all of which I will be discussing below).
2) REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE:- Blood pressure refers to the force with which your blood pushes against your blood vessel walls. If your blood pressure becomes too high it weakens your blood vessel walls which makes them more susceptible to aneurysms (bulging), atherosclerosis (the build up of fatty substances on the blood vessel walls) and hemorrhage (bursting).
The overall impact is that the flow of blood to and from your heart gets restricted causing it to become weak whilst at the same time having to work increasingly hard to pump blood through these blocked or damaged blood vessels. Over time this leads to the onset of heart attacks and heart disease. High blood pressure can also cause significant damage to your brain, your kidneys, your cardiac muscles and your eyes.
No one knows exactly what causes high blood pressure. However, there are a number of risk factors and one of these is poor cardiovascular fitness. Therefore, by improving your cardiovascular fitness through jogging you can reduce your blood pressure and avoid the associated complications.
3) INCREASED HDL (HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN) CHOLESTEROL:- HDL cholesterol (also known as good cholesterol) helps control your overall cholesterol levels by scraping your blood vessels for excess cholesterol and then carrying it to the liver where it can be processed and excreted. If this excess cholesterol is not removed it may form plaque on your blood vessel walls which causes them to harden and become blocked. This then restricts the flow of blood to and from your heart which (as discussed above) ultimately causes heart attacks and heart disease. Improving your cardiovascular fitness increases your HDL cholesterol levels and in this way exercises such as jogging support a healthy heart and vascular system.
4) REDUCED RISK OF HEART DISEASE:- By improving your cardiovascular fitness your heart becomes stronger and more efficient. A strong heart is more resistant to disease and is also under less pressure as it does not have to work as hard to pump blood around the body. Improving your cardiovascular fitness also lowers your blood pressure and increases your HDL cholesterol levels which further protects you from heart disease. Therefore, by jogging regularly you can increase your cardiovascular fitness and lower your heart disease risk.
5) IMPROVED ENDURANCE:- In simple terms oxygen allows your body to release and use the energy that you get from food. The more efficient your body is at using oxygen the more energy you can produce during exercise. As discussed above, improving your cardiovascular fitness increases the volume of oxygen you can take in with each breath, increases the amount of oxygen pumped with each heartbeat and increases the volume of oxygen your muscles absorb. Therefore, regular jogging can increase the amount of energy your body produces which improves your overall endurance and allows you to jog for longer.
6) STRONGER BONES:- When your bones are placed under stress they are forced to adapt and this leads to an increase in bone mineral density. Weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging and weight lifting all stimulate an increase in bone mineral density. The benefit of this is stronger bones that are less likely to bend, fracture and break.
7) REDUCED CANCER RISK:- Regular exercise such as jogging can significantly lower your risk for a number of cancers. It is thought to reduce your colon cancer risk by as much as 50% plus it also lowers your chances of contracting breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.
8) PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF DIABETES:- Jogging can act as a great defence against diabetes. Although no one knows what causes diabetes a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight are two of the main risk factors. Both of these risk factors can be negated by jogging regularly. Pre-diabetes can also be prevented from developing into full type 2 diabetes by doing more exercise. Even if full diabetes develops exercises such as jogging are a very effective treatment tool.
9) STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEM:- There are a number of studies which link regular exercise with a strong immune system. There are a number of reasons behind this. First, regular exercise is thought to stimulate the production of lymphocytes (white blood cells) and macrophages (cells which attack bacteria). Secondly, consistent exercise is believed to make immune system cells circulate through the body more quickly and also make them more efficient at fighting bacteria and viruses.
10) IMPROVED MENTAL FITNESS:- Jogging does not just impact your physical fitness – it has a positive effect on your mental fitness too. First, it can build confidence and self image because you are constantly challenging yourself and changing the way your body looks. Secondly, it can help you overcome anger and stress by giving you an escape from the pressures of day to day life. Thirdly, it can boost your mood through the release of endorphins (hormones which produce a sense of happiness and well being). Finally, it can help you become more focussed and determined as your will to succeed with your jogging becomes a skill that can be transferred to other areas of your life.
11) REDUCED BODY FAT LEVELS:- An average person burns about 150 calories per mile jogged. So if you go for a five mile jog four times per week you will burn approximately 3000 extra calories each week (750 calories per jog).
Furthermore, cardiovascular exercises such as jogging can also increase the number of calories you burn whilst resting. According to this article you can burn up to 15% more calories than normal in the 48 hours after you exercise. So if your metabolism dictates that you burn 2000 calories a day you can potentially burn an extra 300 calories per day (2100 calories per week) from this post exercise boost.
The overall impact is a notable increase in calories burned per week. Jogging can help you burn calories as you jog and whilst you rest. Provided that you carry on eating the same as you were before you started jogging this should equate to a reduction in body fat levels.
12) IMPROVED SLEEP:- According to this article exercise (particularly in the morning) can help improve your sleep. The study suggests that exercising in the morning helps people set their circadian rhythms to be awake during the day and asleep during the night. Exercise also has a number of positive effects on your mental fitness (as discussed above) which are believed to help you relax and free your mind, making you ready to fall asleep at night.
As you can see jogging can be very good for both your mental and physical health. If you go jogging a few times a week you can protect yourself from various diseases, improve your cardiovascular fitness, clear your mind and more. So next time you have a spare half an hour or more why not grab your trainers and give it a go?
Now I’d like to hear from you guys. Are there any health benefits I’ve missed? Are you a jogger or not? Let me know by leaving a comment.
Sources:
Cardiovascular Fitness (ASMI.org)
Exercise and Bone Density (My Food Diary)
Exercise and Immunity (About.com)
Exercise and Sleep (About.com)
How to Increase Endurance For Sports (Associated Content)
Hypertension and Heart Disease (Memorial Hospital)
Mental Benefits of Jogging (About.com)
Raising Your HDL Levels (About.com)
Running (Jogging) (Medicine.net)
Running Quotes (Quote Garden)
About Tom
hey , ive just started jogging and yes ,
it seriously clears my mind and makes me feel relaxed .
It also gives me the calming effects to let me sleep peacefully at night .
But unfortunately , I am a smoker .
I do smoke , but jog .
I weigh 68.9 kg with the height of , if im not mistaken , 164cm .
I would love to lose the fats from my body , and at the same time ,its quite hard for me to kick my smoking habit . I know that in order to lose weight , I would also have to eliminate toxin from my body .
I dont do alcohol nor drugs . Only smoking .
Any advice for me ? do email me back . thanks !
Hey Sarah. Glad you enjoyed my article. I have actually written a series of articles on quitting smoking which you can find can read by clicking here. Hopefully, these articles will help you in your quest to quit.
Great article and I agree! Jogging in the morning always puts me in a best mood especially if on particular day I can push myself to run that “extra mile”… Feels sooo good! :-)
Glad to hear it Cassia.
Hi. I am Praveen (male) from Bangalore India. I am 168 cm and around 80kg. I know I need to loos lots of weight. From past 11 days I am doing jogging every morning for around 15 mins with some simple stretching exercises for 15 mins after it. Now my weight is 76.2 kg. I strictly follow healthy diet with lots of liquid whole day. i am almost loosing 250 gram per day. Is it okie to loose this much weight. I hope I will be able to maintain this healthy habit. Now my first aim is to see myself 74 kg and then will make later milestone.
Thanks for posting nice article.
Hey Praveen. Glad to hear your fitness plans are working for you. The amount of weight you are loosing does sound a little too much. The general recommendation is to lose no more than 2lbs (a little under a kilogram) per week. Currently you’re losing almost double this so if it continues I would recommend that you start adding a few more calories and then cut them out a little more slowly so that your weight loss is gradual.
hi tom! yah ur right. i just start jogging every morning and its give me a nice feeling. I think jogging is enough and more better than go to gym because you need to spend more while jogging is free of charge and you can do it anywhere. do you go to the gym?
Hey Vincent. Yeah I go to the gym quite regularly as I like to do specific resistance training but you make some very good points.
Hi iam Samer, ive been jogging for the past 2 months and have really
enjoyed the experiance with increase in my stamina, i walk or jog 5-6 times a week for a total of about 50km per week.
My only concern is that i was told that jogging frequently will lead to future problems in my knees and joints. Iam 46 years old and am concerned that
in a few more years i will experiance problems in my knees and legs
Any comments regarding this matter?
Hi Samer – Thanks for your comments. I have read about the concerns you mention. Unfortunately I haven’t done any research into this area yet so wouldn’t be able to comment. I will look into the potential negative impacts of jogging at some point during the future but until then I would advise you to start taking a joint strengthening supplement such as glucosamine. Also if you experience any pain or discomfort have a day or two off. Sorry I couldn’t be any more help.
Hello Samer,
I had experienced similar symptoms at the beginning and discovered that jogging on soft surfaces such grass or joggers track with special surface will reduce the pain. Try that and good luck!!
HONESTLY, YOUR ARE AN ASSET TO THE HUMAN RACE. I HOPE MORE PEOPLE WILL GLADLY READ YOUR WRITE-UP AND ADHERE TO THE ROUTINES TO ENJOY THE ACCRUABLE BENEFITS. THANKS A MILLION FOR MAKING MY DAY. HOPE TO READ MORE FROM YOU. I AM IN NIGERIA.
Hi,
I have just started running as an aim to get fit for my summer holiday, I found your article very intriguing and helped me to motiavte myself to succeed in my objectives. I never realised there were all these benefits to jogging. I also wanted to know, are there any disadvantages to jogging at all?
Storm Etin
A great article you have it here. Full of info needed. I’ve started jog on last Monday, 12 Apr 2010. Before I’ve decided to jog, I’ve start to diet for a 2 weeks- avoiding rice and all those junk food as well try to chew my food slowly. Then last night, I had a check on my weight. Before : 73kg. As of last nite: 68kg
Hey Tom!
I started jogging regularly about 6 months ago, not only do I physically feel much better, but I strongly believe it is great for stress.
As a student going through loads of exams, it has been important to find ways to deal with stress, so my mind is at its most efficient when revising. Jogging has helped me massively with this! It gives you the strength mentally to just get on with things.
Anyway, although jogging and eating healthier has already helped me a lot physically, i need one final push to finally put some tone on to my body, would you have any advice for me? I am thin, but not toned. I weigh 10 stone, and am about 5 ft 10.
Thanks, and great blog by the way!
Hello..tom..thank you for this article..i’ve been jogging for the last three months with the intention to kill boredom…yet, im so addicted to it that I can’t stop myself from waking up in the morning and starting to jog for an hour everyday..your article enlightens me a lot about the benefts of jogging..thanks..keep it up..great article
Hey Cassia – Thanks for the great advice. Does jogging on treadmills have a similar effect too since it is a more springy surface?
Cletus – Glad you liked the article so much. I really appreciate the positive feedback.
Hey Storm – I’ve not really looked into this topic in great detail. I know that consistently jogging on hard surfaces can damage your knees but this can be avoided if you stick to softer surfaces or have days off from jogging.
Ryan – I’m happy to hear jogging has helped you get through your exams. I agree with you totally. It’s a great mental release. As for the toning question perhaps try mixing your jogging up with a few free weight sessions. This should allow you to burn fat (from the jogging) whilst toning your muscles (by using the free weights).
AJ – Congratulations on the weight loss. Really great to hear.
Dennis – From boredom to addiction hey? That’s some progress. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Tom
Well, according to the professionals jogging on treadmills is easy for the joints due to the padded surface so I think that the answer is yes. However from my personal experience jogging outside has not only more benefits but its also more fun :-)
Spring greetings for all the joggers out there! Keep up with the good work!
Hi Cassia – Thanks for clearing that up. I agree that as long as the weather is right it is much better to jog outdoors.
Great post.
Thanks. Informative articles like this only serve as more encouragement to get out there and jog!
And, FYI: for anyone out who feels they need a little more motivation to get out there: the Nike + ipod thingy is fantastic! I started using it a month ago and it really helps get you out there to compete against yourself!
Just started jogging one month ago, and today I just completed my quickest 2 mile run yet. It took me a little over 21 mins. For me, that’s fantastic!
Good luck to other new runners out there! And thank you Tom for posting this blog!
Hi Tom,
I started jogging couple of weeks back.Just wanted to know how to build up stamina for jogging over the period.I could now jog 1 mile max in my second week.Any Tips?
Erick – Thanks for commenting. Sounds like you are making some fantastic progress with your jogging. Keep up the good work.
Nits – I find that consistent jogging allows increases your stamina quite well. Just keep at it and you will start to notice improvements.
hey man, I just wanted tosay that this was a great article. It was well researched and has increased my motivation.
Thanks for the positive feedback Muhammad. Much appreciated.
Hi,
This is a great article, i have been jogging for months now, and all the benefits of jogging as listed here are really helpful to know. I now experience less stress, am more energetic and more focused on the stuff in my life.
Another reason i jog is because i used to be addicted to masturbation and porn. As masturbation is really bad for your health ( if you do not agree with me, i can give you very useful info on the topic) and a complete waste of time, after jogging all this time, i haven’t masturbated for 5 months now, and i will keep it up.
Another thing you should know jogging also improves your sex life, jogging helps you have sex for longer periods of time and you feel less and less tired, which makes it more pleasurable…i am talking from experience.
I m 42 yrs old man,height 5 ft 11 inches n weight 73kg.I am an ankologist spondolysis patient. I am doing jogging for 30 minutes on road. please comment
Thankyou for the information. i want to start jogging to help my P.E. (pectus excavatum)
Sunil – I’m not very familiar with this condition but sounds good that you are taking up jogging.
Pablo – Glad you enjoyed the article and glad it has had such a positive impact on your sex life. Definitely the most unique comment I have had on this article so far :-)
Jason – I’m not too familiar with this condition but hope jogging helps.
Hey Sunil. I’m not very familiar with this condition but sounds good that you are taking up jogging.
hello its me again started running for the first time last week by jogging for 10 minutes 5 times a week and 1 did a 10 minute jog once this week really easy. so tonight i bumped it up to half hour n my legs did feel tired abit. shall i stay at this time for a couple of weeks or bump it up again next week? dont want to hurt myself or anything. :) any advice would be appreciated.
Hey Jason. I would try sticking to a 30 minute jog if it is starting to hurt your legs. Also make sure that you can handle five jogs a week. At 30 minutes each that is a lot of running with very little recovery time in between.