Running is, THE BEST form of steady state cardiovascular exercise one can do!

Why?..

Well, for one it’s a “natural movement”, just as walking is, we humans have done it for thousands and thousands of years!

Our ancestors back in the days, only as recently as 500 years ago (in many parts of the world), spent their days hunting, chasing down food to feed the family, using their two hind legs!

Interestingly, the more we run….The more efficient our body becomes at running! This is the same for any other exercise or activity we do…The body basically adapts to become more efficient at whatever we do…

If we are sedentary (inactive) for months on end, the body adapts to preserve energy, store fat more efficiently, metabolism slows, muscle composition changes (reduces), the body basically becomes dormant.

Hence why…REGULAR physical activity SHOULD be part of everyone’s daily life!

We are designed to run

The human body is specifically designed… to run, efficiently!

How’s that? ….Well, firstly, let’s examine the human bodies physiological structure….

Let’s look at the body as a general overview, we are CLEARLY DESIGNED to walk/run upright on two legs, this is an obvious observation, just looking at our bodies structure.

The legs unsurprisingly contain the three longest AND strongest bones of the human body, the Femur, the largest bone, connects the pelvis to the Tibia and Fibula (via a series of ligaments, which connect bones to bones), the two large bones of the lower legs.

It’s not surprising that our two biggest individual muscles, the Gluteus Maximus and Quadriceps Femoris are part of the two largest groups of muscles in the body.

The Gluteus group, located on the rear pelvis making up the buttocks, responsible for primarily hip & thigh movement,  and quadriceps groups of muscles. The 4 powerful muscles running down the front thighs, connecting the knee to the pelvis, providing hip flexion (moving upper leg forward) and knee extension (allowing the lower limbs of the legs to move in a forward motion).

Running is arguably the most effective form of cardio for burning fat

Running is, generally, at a given intensity, one of the best, if not THE best, forms of cardiovascular exercise for burning fat, at roughly 600-1200+kcals burned per hour.

Rivalled only by activities including kickboxing, boxing or skipping, which are simply unrealistic to perform for a sustained period of time.

Plus, you don’t need to be a member of a gym/ Dojo, you don’t need any equipment other than a decent pair of comfortable trainers and it’s undertaken outdoors, allowing you to get your dose of Vit D hit whilst doing it too!!

Simplicity makes for greater exercise adherence!

It’s so much easier to just get up out of bed, drink a pint of water to re-hydrate (give it 15 minutes) (make sure you do this, think about it… the body has been absent of fluid intake for 8-10 hours+ meaning that most people will be mildly dehydrated on wakening) and bolt out of the door for 15-40 minutes.

Sooo…. we’ve established that we’re basically designed to run and that running is one of the best ways to burn fat, what other benefits come with running bright and early, before we tuck into our delicious breakfast?..

Running is a form of impact exercise

Running is one of the few forms of “impact exercise”..

what do I mean by impact exercise?…

Impact exercise is defined as exercise where both feet are off the ground at the same time, generally at speed, creating greater force on impact.

This differs to when we walk, where one foot is off the ground extending out into the next stride whilst the other remains on the ground, planter flexed raising to the toes, before raising off the ground into its timely stride.

During running it’s a similar pattern of movement, except, when performed at greater speed, both feet rise off the ground at a given moment, resulting in greater force impact on connection with the ground, absorbed by the muscles and counter movement of the joints.

Impact exercise is proven to be one of the few ways to increase bone mineral density (BMD) and protect against or reverse bone degeneration, osteoporosis.

Bone mineral density is the volume of bone minerals (calcium & phosphorous) stored in bone tissue, contributing towards giving bones their sheer strength!

Loss of bone mineral density is the underlying cause of osteoporosis, a serious degenerative condition associated with ageing, where bone tissue breaks down over time, losing its mineral content, making bones weaker, brittle and more susceptible to fractures & breaks.

Impact exercise (and weight training) are proven methods of protecting against the development of BMD loss commonly associated with ageing, particularly 50+, even potentially reversing the condition by signalling the body to store more minerals in bone tissue to counter the stress induced by running on the bones, making them stronger over time.

This process is an adaptation response, similar to how the body stores more proteins in muscle tissue when muscle tissue is mechanically stressed (e.g. through lifting weights), resulting in greater gains in strength and muscle mass over time.

Running first thing is a powerful means of burning fat

On wakening, before breakfast, we are typically in what’s called a fasted state, where we haven’t eaten any foods for a period of time (over 5 hours).

This means that when we embark on our delightful morning jog, our glycogen levels (carbohydrates stored in muscle) in the body should be relatively low, causing the body to switch to oxidising body fat as energy, to fuel the working muscles during your run.

Ideal, if you’re overweight or looking to drop body fat quicker!

After all, for good health, particularly for men, we want to maintain a high muscle to fat ratio to keep our hormone levels optimum, burn more energy at rest (more muscle= more calories burnt) and maintain a leaner, healthier physique.

There’s a ridiculous amount of controversy over this topic…..

Soooo……We’ll explore, more in-depth, in a future article!

Start your day on a “HIGH”……A Runners high!

Runners high as I’m sure you’ve all heard, is the result of a heightened release of endorphins, the feel-good hormones, released from the brain, producing a sense of euphoria (high) typically experienced when we run for a consistent period of 15-20mins+.

This euphoric state literally makes you feel like you are on DRUGS! How? Well, pharmaceutical drugs, namely anti-depressants, and certain stimulants exert their beneficial effects by manipulating the release of these endorphins in the brain!

Running, and other forms of exercise ACT LIKE A DRUG to trigger the release of these endorphins!

Research has proven that INTERESTINGLY, running, or, other forms of exercise can be AS EFFECTIVE as pharmaceuticals!

Running therefore, sets you up PERFECTLY for an incredibly POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE day ahead!!

I CAN TELL YOU NOW, THE BEST DAYS I HAVE ARE WHEN I’VE RAN IN THE EARLY HOURS!

If you’ve never tried this, you will feel like a totally different person!!

You’ll feel wired all day long, you’ll get more quality work done, you’ll be highly motivated, pumped, happy, chatty, ready to take on anything the job may throw at you!

Running boosts Neurogenesis

Running is proven to be one of the best and most effective ways to BOOST NEUROGENESIS!.

What is neurogenesis??

Neurogenesis is the process in which new nervous system cells are produced in the brain…

“neuro”=neuron, “genesis”= formation/creation

In other words…. AN Increased rate of growing NEW BRAIN CELLS.

Neurogenesis is a recent topic of exhilarating research which is beginning to unravel old theoretical thinking, that humans, once reaching adult age, cannot create new brain neurons.

Many studies are beginning to show that although the rate of neurogenesis does slow with age, as adults, we create around 700 new brain cells every day.

It also shows that lifestyle factors, including EXERCISE and DIET are KEY mechanisms for INCREASING this rate!

How exciting!…

Running particularly, has been proven to VASTLY INCREASE the rate of neurogenesis in the hippocampus…the area of the brain primarily responsible for regulating learning, memory, mood and emotion!

Therefore, boosting neurogenesis can IMPROVE learning & memory!!

Who doesn’t want to be smarter right?

It’s a no BRAINER!

I’ll bring you more on this fascinating topic of neurogenesis in a later article!…

Sooo….

The best morning protocol?

I enjoy running just after sunrise, It’s exhilarating!

Wake nice and early, down a pint or water, and a coffee if you need a little pick me up, wait 20 minutes for it to kick in, then head out the door!

Combine a morning run with a cold shower and I GUARANTEE you’ll feel like SUPERMAN for the rest of your day!

YOU’LL EXCEED ALL YOU ONCE THOUGHT WAS UNACHIEVABLE

I strongly advise you try this, for at least a month, 2-3 mornings of the week!

Stay well!

Thelakescoach