Running Towards a Greater Life

Ryan Modafe

January 6, 2023

Running was once a primal way of life when humans needed to survive and get to their desired locations as quickly as possible. While humans are easily outclassed in pure speed by many other land animals which include the cheetah, horse, lion, hare, etc., humans are by far the best economic and efficient long distance runners due to the way human legs are structured and positioned. This is the reason why feats such as a sub-1 hour half-marathon (13.1 miles) are possible to accomplish. However, running does not need to be left to only the professionals and almost anybody can take up the hobby of running and improve many aspects of their life. 

The most major impact running has lies in health benefits. The key is consistency. Running is one of the most efficient calorie burning exercises with between 600 and 950 calories burned per hour depending on weight. By burning such a large quantity of calories in a relatively short amount of time, you can reach and maintain a healthy body weight while also reaping other benefits from running. Another big benefit from running comes in the form of strength. On the external side running strengthens leg muscles and builds healthier and more durable joints which can drastically improve quality of life. Internally, the heart is also strengthened tremendously. Studies have shown that running reduces the risk of heart disease between 35 and 55 percent in those who run consistently. 

Many see running as a way to get in shape or a form of exercise but it does so much more than that. The disguised but even more so important than the physical advantages are the mental state of well-being brought with it. Sleep is a difficult to find commodity in today’s world of technology and the average sleep time of adults in the US has been on the decline currently sitting at below seven hours a night. While many people have other priorities they must attend to and cannot afford to increase the duration of their sleep, they can improve the quality of it. Running has been proven to allow for the brain to relax during and after a run and aids in structuring a regular sleep schedule as well as putting you in a deeper sleep, helping you rest more. There are a myriad of other benefits like boosting mood, reducing stress, and even helping you recover from preceding mental health issues. Running can be the key to fixing up many problems that did not have solutions previously. All you have to do is to reach that key.