Have you ever wondered what the effects of running are on the runner’s body or thought about the main advantages that the practice can offer? So, check out more details on the topic so you can become a sports enthusiast.
The effects of running on the body are countless and anyone who thinks that the benefits are just aesthetic is mistaken. In fact, in terms of mood, memory and learning, running can be one of the best physical activities for your brain, for example.
Therefore, more than improving physical conditioning, strengthening the heart muscle and the body’s muscles as a whole, especially the lower limbs, such as the glutes, quadriceps, posterior thighs and calves, running is also responsible for regulating and improving mental health.
In other words, in addition to the visible benefits of running for the body, such as weight loss and strengthening the lower limbs, it is also possible to bring to light the invisible benefits of the practice, reflected in the well-being and disposition of the practitioners.
Looking for motivation or trying to convince someone to run with you? So, take note of the information we brought in this complete guide on the subject!
What happens to your body when you run?
Right when you run, your body makes a movement of physical and compound acclimations to move from a state of rest to a state of intense turn of events. These hormonal and biochemical changes make pressure for the body, placing more noteworthy demands on organs, muscles and joints.
During the running period, the body is constantly adapting to support a higher intensity exercise, which demands more from the body. To do this, he seeks to balance his oxygen consumption to keep moving.
Furthermore, the circulatory system adapts to irrigate the most active regions during running more efficiently, as is the case with the muscles, at the same time as it reduces irrigation in organs that are not working as much during that period of stress.
During the entire running period, when the person changes the intensity, increasing and decreasing the pace, the body maintains its adaptations, working in a targeted way and releasing hormones – most of them of well-being and reward.
After the race is over, the body takes time to recover, but then returns to its normal resting state. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that stress, in this case, is nothing more than a physical and automatic response from our body to the stimulus.
Impact of running
1. Feeling of well-being and happiness
When running, our body increases levels of calming chemicals such as endorphins, dopamine, beta-endorphins, serotonin and norepinephrine, also known as the feel-good and happiness hormones.
Therefore, running regularly can reduce acute, acute episodic and even chronic stress levels.
2. Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression
According to research carried out by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , a person with anxiety or depression who practices aerobic activities at least three times a week can reduce disease symptoms as effectively as using medication.
It is likewise answerable for stimulating the development of neurons harmed by discouragement, activating brain atoms and increasing serotonergic and noradrenergic levels in the brain, neurons connected with our temperament, prosperity, nervousness, rest, acting as normal antidepressants.
Exercising can also increase the creation of brain cells and connections between neurons, improving attention and concentration capacity.
3. Strengthens muscles
The lower limbs such as the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves are the main beneficiaries during a run.
Therefore, running regularly can strengthen the muscles of the lower limbs and also the core, a group that is considered the center of gravity of our body.
The core is an integrated region of 29 pairs of muscles that support and stabilize the pelvis, pelvis and abdomen.
It is located around the entire region of the trunk, in line with the lumbar spine and, therefore, the main muscles of the group are the abdominals, the lower back, the glutes and the obliques.
Therefore, running can be a way to work the body as a whole, even if it doesn’t demand as much from the upper limbs – which can be solved with weight training .
4. Strengthens the heart muscle
Did you had any idea that, more than the muscles of the lower appendages, running additionally fortifies the heart muscle?
This happens on the grounds that the heart begins pumping blood all the more rapidly and effectively all through the body. The aftereffect of this is the strengthening of the organ’s muscles and dissemination.
Moreover, since the subject is heart, running for one hour seven days can decrease the gamble of coronary illness by close to half, particularly when contrasted with individuals who run week after week and the people who are stationary.
5. Improves cardiovascular health
After 18 weeks or 4 and a half months of constant running, the human body shows a strengthening of the respiratory system, increasing the time needed to reach exhaustion by 23%.
More than the significant improvement in the respiratory system, those who practice sports tend to improve heart rate and blood pressure, in addition to reducing LDL cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol.
6. Speeds up metabolism
When you run, the body increases oxygen consumption through muscle activation, resulting in higher calorie expenditure.
As a consequence of this, the metabolism works faster and, therefore, we can say that one of the effects of running every day is weight loss.
It is worth remembering that, in addition to being a great ally in this regard, running is one of the cheapest physical exercises to practice regularly, since, to begin with, you only need to invest in suitable sneakers and learn to run the right way. .
7. Increases self-esteem
Whether by reducing weight, improving physical conditioning and breathing, releasing hormones or achieving goals that seemed very difficult, running makes people love themselves more, increasing their disposition and satisfaction with their own bodies.
Does running lose weight or define it?
Running can be an ally when it comes to weight loss, after all, it provides high caloric expenditure and, therefore, helps in burning and reducing the practitioner’s fat percentage.
However, for this to happen, the practice must be aligned with a balanced diet.
In terms of definition, the ideal is for you to run, have a predominantly healthy diet and also do bodybuilding, as a defined body is the result of a lower level of fat and gain in muscle mass.
What running does for you is precisely to reduce your fat percentage, so if you have enough lean mass, your body will gradually become defined.
After all, you can only define your muscles once you lose the “cover” of fat on top of them.
Therefore, remember to run regularly, eat properly and do weight training, this way you can define and strengthen your body while preventing injuries during running.