The many reasons why running lifts your mood
You've heard running can help you slim down, help maintain heart and lung health, and keep your body strong. Those benefits alone can help you feel better about yourself and feel well mentally.
But did you know that running can also help lift your mood and even ward off depression? It can help you be more creative and productive and feel less stressed out.
No wonder about 50 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, jog or run regularly! [1]
Active.com reports that running improves your overall physical health. Running can raise levels of good cholesterol, increase lung function, lower the risk of blood clots, and boost the immune system. [2]
Running also wards off disease, including breast cancer and stroke. People in early stages of diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure can all benefit from jogging. And a regular running routine has been proven as a deterrent to heart attacks.
"By helping the arteries retain their elasticity and strengthening the heart, your chances of suffering a heart attack can be significantly reduced," Active.com says.
As we mentioned, running can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight if you couple it with a sensible diet. Only cross country skiing burns more calories per minute than running.
The mental benefits of running
The Cigna blog wrote about the runner's high [3]:
Runners have touted the great feeling of a runner's high for years. As you begin to run, your heart starts pumping harder and pushing blood through your body at a faster rate. Your respiratory system starts working harder and you mentally prepare yourself for vigorous exercise. As you continue to push yourself to go harder and faster, your body starts releasing endorphins. These hormones act as a stimulant in the body, resulting in what many call a "natural high."
But the mental benefits of running don't stop there. Running:
- Reduces stress. Running helps the body deal with mental tension and can control stress. It also increases production of norepinephrine, a hormone that moderates the brain's reaction to stress.
- Helps prevent cognitive decline. Running doesn't cure Alzheimer's disease, but it might help minimize and slow the cognitive decline that begins after you turn 45. Working out between ages 25 and 45 helps the brain produce chemicals that prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, which is imortant for learning and memory. You might combine your running with VALI Neuro Force, a nootropic cognitive support supplement with natural ingredients that supports memory and focus, and promotes a positive mood. [4].
- Helps promote a calm mind. Hormones the body releases during and after a run can help people who have anxiety be calmer.
- Enhances brain power. Cardio exercise like running and jogging can create new brain cells and even enhance the way your brain performs. And it can increase the level of a protein involved with learning, higher mental powers, and decision-making, Cigna says.
- Helps you sleep better. You can fall asleep faster, even if you have insomnia. If you find you have trouble sleeping, you also might try VALI Sleep Well, an all-natural, herbal supplement that has advantages over pharmaceutical pills that you can become dependent on and that can cause lingering drowsiness the next day [5] Check out this blog [6] for sleep tips.
- Increases productivity. People who exercise produce more on the job, research has found.
- Increases creativity. You can see a boost in your creative side for two hours after a run.
- Fights depression. Harvard Health reports that running just 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression.
The 5 benefits of running for mental health
Electrolytes for runners
You may have heard about electrolytes or salts that people who exercise and work hard need to supplement the natural supply from what we eat and drink.
VALI health produces two supplements [7] that supply the bodies of athletes, farmers, or construction workers with the natural substances they need when they lose salts through hard work and play.
Your muscles may cramp, tighten up or give out without the proper nutrition that VALI Electrolyte Salts [8] and Electrolyte Salts with Caffeine [9] can supply.
Compete or work at your optimal intensity and comfort with VALI Electrolyte Salts. The capsules supply:
- 500 IU Vitamin D3 to help the body absorb calcium
- 20 mg calcium
- 15 mg magnesium
- 280 mg chloride
- 120 mg sodium
- 100 mg potassium
- 1 mg zinc
The capsules with caffeine also have 40 mg of the stimulant to boost your game if your energy is running out.
Sources:
[1] https://www.livestrong.com/article/13730338-running-statistics/
[2] https://www.active.com/running/articles/6-benefits-of-running
[3] https://www.cigna.com/individuals-families/health-wellness/mental-health-benefits-of-running
[6] https://www.valiup.com/blogs/vali-blog/magnesium-for-health-and-a-good-nights-sleep
[8] https://www.valiup.com/products/vali-electrolyte-salts-hydration-support
[9] https://www.valiup.com/products/vali-electrolyte-salts-caffeine-hydration-energy-support
Also in VALI Blog
Tips for beginning an exercise program
Beginning an exercise program can be daunting, especially if you have never really been into fitness before.
Some people, when they exercise, strive for a bikini body. If you have a diving bell body, don't fret, you too can be helped by regular exercise. You can look better, but more important feel better if you eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep.
Does your body really need rest days? Yes!
Whatever kind of intense exercise you do, whether running, weightlifting, team sports, or hard work, your body needs rest days.
In fact, Healthline says rest days are just as important as exercise days, and no regimen is complete without both exercise and rest. Rest enhances your energy and restores the body to full capacity.
Fighting stress and cultivating well-being
Stress can ruin your health and in the long run even kill you. But you don't have to let it rule your life. There are steps you can take to fight stress and cultivate well-being.
Don't let stress ruin your sex life, destroy your happiness and well-being, and have a deleterious effect on your health. Turn off that cellphone, get outside, be kind to yourself and others, and get a good night's sleep.
Mark Miller
Author